Dusty's Lake Oahe Fishing Report

Winter Fishing

2012-01-13T12:20:00.002-06:00

No ice to be found on Lake Oahe around Pike Haven to the Dam, and fishing is continuing like it was summer, only bigger fish. We thought we might have a unique situation here around the mouth of the Cheyenne, but from what we hear, people are catching very good walleyes in open water from Chantier Creek to the Whitlocks area. In addition, nice fish are being caught in the tailrace area of the Oahe Dam. Actually, I can't think of a period of time since early July this year that walleye fishing has not been good in this part of the lake. Ohh how lucky we are.

By the way, if you have a RV you're looking to park this summer, Pike Haven has some rare openings this year for an annual full-service lot. Better hurry though.

2011 in Review

2011-11-11T15:00:00.020-06:00

It was an excellent year for the mid-section of Lake Oahe. Large quantities of Walleyes were caught easily throughout most of the season. Fishermen are still getting their limits. The average size was down a little, showing signs of great spawns and lots of fish for the coming years. Follows is a recap and some of the highlights from 2011.

This is a shot of the Pike Haven ramp in April blocked with drifting shale.

We did struggle a little in the spring. Due to cool weather, the walleyes stayed in the Cheyenne River longer than usual. Some nice fish were caught, but numbers weren’t what we are used to.

Typically, as the weather warms in June, so does the walleye bite. Through the first part of June, 2011, the weather was cool, and the fishing was challenging compared to typical years. Myself, as well as, many others found the bite to be excellent, but some found it difficult to locate active fish. Northern Pike, however, were very active, and large enough to put up an exciting fight on a walleye rig.

Follows are some pictures of Pike Haven guests and their fish taken during the June time period.

During July everyone found it easy to catch walleye in this part of Lake Oahe. They would bite about anything and in depths from 2 to 35 feet (salmon fishermen also caught them in 80 feet of water). Size wise, we caught fish from 12 inches to 30 inches. I would say that the most typical walleye was between 16 and 17 inches long. A bit smaller than recent years, but nice, fat and feisty. A boat of three fishing a reasonable day could easily catch over a 100 fish. Some where during mid-July we started picking up good number of mid-twenty inch fish as well. This continued for about 3 weeks, and it is hard to imagine better walleye fishing than we experienced during that period.

The good fishing continued into the fall without a noticeable let up. Coupled with pleasant fall weather made for a wonderful fall fishing season well into November.

We anticipate another great year in 2012. Make your plans early to secure your accommodations and guide services.

July 25 Report

2011-07-25T21:42:00.003-05:00

Walleyes seem to be all over this part of Lake Oahe. Fish in 10 to 25 feet, drag a crawler on about anything. Move along 1/2 to 1 mile per hour and catch lots of fish. The tricky part is to hook up with larger fish. Just keep working the good spots and you will get them too. Here's a picture of today's catch with George and Bill. We got most of them near the Little Bend camp ground area.

July 9 Report

2011-07-09T13:23:00.005-05:00

Walleyes are biting throughout this part of the Lake in both shallow and water upto 30 feet. Crawlers are the bait of choice and crankbait pulling is effective also. In addition to walleye, fishermen are catching a lot of northern pike.

June 26 Report

2011-06-29T17:28:00.002-05:00

Rain, wind, more rain and wind. Difficult fishing conditions recently. The good spots here are the mouth of the Cheyenne and near Bush's Landing. More but smaller fish can be caught further north. Depth varies from 15 to 25 feet depending on the location and wind. Crawlers and leeches seem to be the most popular, however some are catching on minnows yet. This is a photo of the Finch family catch, fishing around Bush's in 20 to 25 feet on crawlers.

Nebraska Rookies

2011-06-29T17:27:00.001-05:00

This picture shows Bob and Neil of Lincoln with their first walleyes.

June 17 & 18 - The Polzaks

2011-06-20T19:10:00.002-05:00

Tom and Bryan of Ogallala, NE were my guests this time out and were great fishermen. We continued to catch walleyes up and down the Cheyenne. Lots of northerns were caught also.

June 14 and 15 - Good Fishing Continues

2011-06-20T19:03:00.002-05:00

The fish continue to bite in the Cheyenne River arm. Sansarc had lots of fish but many are smaller. Joe's Creek was good for better size. Biting on crawlers, leeches and minnows. This is Jason Grof and his friend.

June 12, 2011 Report

2011-06-12T10:26:00.006-05:00

The Cheyenne River arm is hot. Nearly all fishing there were doing well over the weekend. All sizes of walleyes were in the creels. The Sansarc area was probably the easiest bite, but reports were good from about every bay in the arm. Shallow water was the key, from 10 feet to the shoreline.

I fished with the Larry Marchant family from Rapid City, shown in the first photo. Drew, the youngest of the group caught the most fish. Besides catching our limit of walleye, we caught many pike, catfish, white bass and a few smallies.

I am posting some other photos from the weekend also.

By the way, lake access is normal as is boating on Lake Oahe.

June 9

2011-06-10T06:17:00.002-05:00

Quick note on improved fishing around Cheyenne River. Took the Larry Merchant family of Rapid and Huron out and caught our limit ranging from 15 to 22 inches, plus good numbers of small pike and few of everything else. Shallow water on minnows or leeches or crawlers or pitched crankbaits. More later. Getting on the lake is easy at Little Bend.

Memorial Weekend Report, May 30

2011-05-30T07:23:00.006-05:00

I fished with Doug & Amy Lindhorst and Kris Beckler from Nebraska for two days. Day one was 20 mph winds which limited our options. We mostly fished in the back of Rousseau Bay in the Cheyenne River catching northern pike and white bass. Day two brought less wind early but overcast and some rain. We went back further in the Cheyenne but found it to contain dirtier water than I like. Ended up catching a couple of walleye, pike again and bass around Joe's creek. Amy caught this 28 inch walleye on a crankbait and a 19-20 inch white bass that she was proud of.

Chuch Keuck of North Sioux City was fishing around the mouth of the Cheyenne and pulled up a surprising catch with his walleye jig. This picture shows his 36 inch, 10 pound Burbot, just a couple of pounds off of a state record. I bet that was a scary moment when it first came into view.

Ramps are open on Lake Oahe

2011-05-27T15:44:00.002-05:00

We heard rumors that fishermen couldn't launch boats on Lake Oahe due to high water. This is NOT the case. The ramps are constructed to accomodate high water conditions.

The high water does create some challenges for fishermen in that the water is slow to warm and generally cloudly. The Cheyenne is where we have been getting our fish still and it will be running pretty hard for a while. Still some good fishing in the lower third of the Cheyenne. Peak for this part of the Lake will again be later than usual.

Cabin Opening for 2011 Trucker's Tournament

2011-05-06T10:03:00.001-05:00

A late cancelation has created a rare room opening for this years tournament. Give us a call if you need a place.

Early May, 2011 Report

2011-05-06T09:52:00.003-05:00

We slipped up into the Cheyenne River yesterday. The weather was perfect. We caught three nice walleye, 25", 27" and 28", two smaller pike, lost a big pike and one white bass. We were using a jig/minnow in the Fish Gut area at about 15 feet. Here is a picture of the biggest walleye.

The water level is very high again this year. The eroding shale banks continue to mound up on the boat ramp, requiring regular removal, but we are keeping it open.

ROOM AVAILABLE FOR TRUCKERS TOURNAMENT

2010-06-14T11:28:00.003-05:00

Due to a cancelation Pike Haven has a room available June 16th-19th. If you are fishing in the Truckers tournament or are interested in fishing in it and need a room, give us a call. I am sure it is going to go fast.

June 14th 2010 "The Fish are Biting"

2010-06-14T10:23:00.007-05:00

The fishing is starting to turn on!!!
Most anglers are catching some nice looking fish right at the mouth of the cheyenne.
Check out these pics...

Pheasants Survive Winter Around Pike Haven

2010-04-02T13:11:00.003-05:00

Our winter was worst than recent years, but due to excellent cover and a lot of grain left in the fields, pheasants have wintered well. We see lots of roosters and hens scurrying about, and hear cackling frequently. Hopefully the weather is favorable to a good hatch.

Lake Oahe Update

2010-04-02T13:02:00.002-05:00

In the Little Bend area the ice is mostly gone on the south side, but mostly there on the north side. The dam area is mostly free of ice. We can't see into the Cheyenne River well enough to tell what is happening there. As far as fishing goes, we haven't been out yet, nor do I have any additional information over my last report. I was hoping to fish this weekend, but the weather is not cooperating.

Iceout Update

2010-03-30T13:20:00.002-05:00

Here's a short report. We returned from Mpls to find more open water along the shorelines. Enough to fish from shore. We received reports that a few pike have been caught in Twin Bays and Spring Creek. Water is rising about 4 inches per day. We hope to try some pike fishing sometime this week.

Iceout Update

2010-03-15T15:52:00.003-05:00

We were at a Fishing and Hunting show in Sioux Falls this past weekend. The show and slightly warmer weather seemed to be helping victims of cabin fever. We did find, however, that fishing fever was widespread.

Upon returning to the shores of Lake Oahe we found a ribbon of water along these shorelines. Due mostly I think to the one-foot rise in water level over the past week. Not a lot of open water, but something for the wind to work with. I took a couple of pictures at the Little Bend boat ramp.

Lake Oahe 2010 Fishing Outlook

2010-03-06T16:09:00.003-06:00

Ice depth is well over 12 inches. With the 30-day weather forecast of normal temperatures ahead of us, it will probably be near April before the water is open for boat use in our area.

Lake Oahe water levels: The lake is currently at about 1,608 feet above sea level. The latest Corps of Engineers forecast shows about an 8-foot increase in water level this spring, putting it at about 1,616 feet during June. This is a couple of feet higher than June 2009.

Ice spearing reports this winter show plentiful walleyes, along with large schools of smelt of all sizes, but not as much shad as recent years. Other bait fish, such as lake herring and perch, have been seen through the ice.

The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks reports excellent walleye populations in Lake Oahe. The lower third of the lake contains the most and largest walleyes at this time. Their 2010 Outlook report shows that over 25% of the walleyes in lower Lake Oahe are over 20 inches, which is exactly consistent with the limit of one 20+ incher out of the four daily limit.

Smallmouth bass fishing should continue to be excellent also. Last year oodles of 19-inch smallies were caught. They ought to be a little bigger this year. Many fishermen on Oahe release caught smallies, preferring to eat walleye, however, they are a riot to catch because of their aggressiveness and tendency to jump out of the water. You can start catching them regularly in mid-May, along with the peaking white bass bite.

Salmon fishing is predicted to be good again. You can start catching them in this area in late May in shallow water. Expect sizes from 7 to 15 pounds. They are great eating.

Large northern pike are not plentiful, but are here. Spawning conditions have been good the past couple of years, so look for some hammer handles to hit your line.

As the lake starts to open, we will provide postings on the progress as well as spring pike fishing success.

2009-07-11T10:10:00.002-05:00

Even catching some salmon up in this part of the lake this one was caught July 5th and went 14.5lbs. Have seen a dozen more in the last week or so that were in the 6 to 10 pound range.

We caught this one in 35 feet of water trolling for larger walleyes. Thought we had a tree lol

2009-07-11T10:00:00.002-05:00

sorry about taking so long to post a new one on here. Been very busy. Last week took groups out five out of six days we had all our fish by noon everyday. ranging from 16.5 inches upto 23 inches. The fishing is the best ive seen in many years. I dont see it declining anytime in the near future either.

Jim' Stringer

2009-06-10T08:13:00.002-05:00

Jim Wiekamp sent us this photo of his stringer of walleye. He reports that they were caught near Fine Weather Draw in the Cheyenne on June 5th. Thanks Jim.

2009-05-29T11:39:00.001-05:00

Chris B 8lbs 4oz

2009-05-29T11:36:00.001-05:00

the fishing has really picked up this week in the river... lots of limits being caught, with some big fish still coming in. The main lake is still slow but should be getting better here in the next week or so.

2009-05-19T07:33:00.002-05:00

After many days of unsuccessful fishing on lake Oahe I decided to go below the dam on Sunday. The fishing was ok, if he didn't mind the 10,000 boats that were out. We caught I'm guessing 20 to 30 walleye and were able to keep 8 of those. Fished from the bridges to farm island.

Got up yesterday and started to do some work outside here, the weather was just to nice decided to go fishing again on the main lake. So glad that I did. Went into the mouth a little ways and started pitching jigs to shore. Third cast picked up an 8 lbs walleye. and was catching smallies like no other. Drifted a little farther and picked up a 17 inch walleye on my dead poll in 10 feet of water.

Decided to move to a different spot did the same things and the action slowed way down. Was heading back to pike haven and decided to troll some crank baits, for a few min. Glad I did. I did this for one hour and in that hour caught another 8lbs 3 oz one and also caught a 24 inch and 2 that were just a hair over 22. Was pulling the baits in 15 to 20 feet of water.

2009-05-04T12:47:00.002-05:00

Went out yesterday souly looking for walleyes.. I was able to make the run to fishgut about 15 miles into the chy. river. The water was warmer up there approaching 51, but the water was very very muddy. I then went down river towards the mouth the water cleared up some but was colder 48 degrees. Finding out that the weeds run all the way out to 20 feet and is making it difficult to fish normal ways. I also used the aquaview through out the whole day, only saw one walleye with it, he was buried into the weeds could not get him to bite anything. I fished all day all over the lake and didnt get a single bite. I tried slip bobbers, jigs with minnows and or gulp, and I tried crankbaits aswell. On the main lake and back in the bays.

I am going out again tomorrow and will try around the bend to the north alittle ways hoping the water will be a little clearer.

fishing

2009-04-24T13:15:00.002-05:00

the fishing on lower lake oahe is still real slow for all types of fish. water coming out of the chy. river is very dirty aswell. The water temp in the main lake is 44 degrees. back in the bays when the sun comes out it can reach close to 50.

Pike fishing

2009-04-14T18:11:00.002-05:00

Went out today right after lunch fished for 5 hours or so. We caught one northren that weighed around 10 lbs. and lost one other one. Had lines from 7 feet of water out to 20 feet. Water temp was 43 degrees.

Northern Pike Fishing - No Luck Today

2009-04-07T21:36:00.002-05:00

Two of us spent the afternoon looking for some wandering Northern Pike. Finally the weather was decent and we were able to get on the water. We tried Agency Bay and Mail Shack Creek, but to no avail. Not even a nibble. Heads up, with the higher water level, you find a lot of weeds and brush in the water along the shorelines. Bring some slip bobbers.

Ice Out Lake Oahe

2009-03-25T08:16:00.002-05:00

The storm has passed, leaving a little snow, frozen ground and a thawed lake.
Lake Oahe is open, at least from the dam to the Cheyenne River. Let the fishing begin. Although, its a little cold and windy right now.

Ice Update

2009-03-23T11:46:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend we did not get rain, but warm temps and steady winds did open more shoreline areas. Today we saw some back bays with enough open water to fish. Strong north winds are moving the ice sheet around pretty good. The forecast is for rain, snow and cold temps for the next 3 days. We will check it again on Thursday.

Pheasant Population

2009-03-20T16:00:00.004-05:00

Just a short word on how the pheasants have wintered in the area. They apear to have done very well. We attempted a casual road count the other day and gave up after 350 some in just a few miles of driving.

Lake Thaw Report

2009-03-20T15:54:00.002-05:00

Lake Oahe is still covered with ice in this area. We see a few feet of open water along much of the shoreline. The ice is very dark, but we are unsure how thick it might be.

The forecast is for rain on Sunday and Monday. That could bring about a dramatic change. We will keep you posted.

Fall Fishing Picking Up

2008-10-03T07:38:00.002-05:00

This week fishermen are having more success with walleyes. Yesterday, 3 of the 4 boats that launched here returned with their limit. Fish size has not been great, primarily 16 and 17 inchers, with a few fish 20+. Good smallie action at the same time. I was told that the GF&P has started scenting the salmon ladder at Whitlocks this week.

Not Much Change

2008-09-29T11:07:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, fishing remained spotty. A few boats did pretty well in the Little Bend area, while others caught just a few fish. Size has been decent with a few over 21 inches, but the big fall bruisers haven't shown up yet. Depth varies all over the board, some catching in 15 feet, some in 50 feet. We need more boats on the water to get a really good indication of the fishing mood.

2008-09-22T08:27:00.002-05:00

The walleye bite is starting to pick up again following a slow couple of weeks. The water is clearing up and the walleyes are moving back to shallower water. It's still not easy for a boat of 3 to get their limit, but the quantity and quality are improving. The Cheyenne River arm seems to be the hottest spot right now.

Governor's Cup Results 2008

2008-07-19T16:53:00.003-05:00

2008 Governor's Cup Fishing Tournament - First Day

(Top 5) Official weights

1. Novotny 20.63
2. Diegel 20.09
3. Girard 19.60
4. Walter/Nincehelger 19.58
5. Pike Haven - Dusty & Alex Miller 18.07

Big Fish 6.92

Governor's Cup

2008-07-19T14:24:00.004-05:00

Saturdays Governor's Cup proved to be plentiful. We were the last boat to launch and the first one off the water at noon.

We used crank baits and caught 8 beauties. Weighing our 7 fish, the total was 18.5. Tomorrow morning we will add the leading weight for the day.

Mouth of Cheyenne

2008-07-02T10:12:00.002-05:00

The mouth of the Cheyenne is really hot. Lots of numbers with some quality fish. South of Mail Shack to Combine Point there are less fish but better quality. Fish are still fairly shallow (12-16') but some are starting to catch at 20-30'. Water temperature is at 69 degrees.
Question??? Call Dusty at 605-264-5465.

2008-06-23T16:17:00.002-05:00

PORK CENTRAL

Here is a photo from Monday June 16th, of a group of guys I guided for.

Nice fish guys

2008-06-23T16:13:00.001-05:00

Here is a photo of Don Walton and his winning fish from the truckers tourn, held here over the weekend.

CONGRATS DON W.

The Fishing's Hot!

2008-06-23T14:29:00.002-05:00

The Trucker's Tournament was held from Thursday, June 19th through Saturday, June 21st. The winner, Don Walton, landed a walleye weighing 6 lbs 8 oz. Numerous 5lb+ walleyes were caught. The tournament is held every year at Pike Haven.

The migratory fish are moving down the river and are between Charlie and Mission. Increased number of small fish are being caught with larger fish mixed in.

South of Agency still slow, but the fish caught are considerably bigger.

2008-06-06T09:06:00.002-05:00

THE FISH ARE REALLY STARTING HERE

If you like to pull plugs now is a great time for that around here. keep the boat in 18 - 25 feet of water with plugs that dive to 15 feet.
If not into pluging the best info I can give u for here is dont be afraid to move around fish a point for no more than 30 mins if nothing find a different one. People are catching them on minnows and worms on a lindy rig or bottom bouncer. anywhere from 15 to 25 feet of water. Some people are catching a lot of fish while others are really struggling.
The fishing north of here is still really good as well even better than down here. But the reports are the fish are a little smaller and the fishing pressure is really high. Some people are catching a lot of fish while others are really struggling. Hope this helps any other questions give me a call 1-605-264-5465

2008-05-14T18:02:00.003-05:00

Today was the first real good day for fishing on Oahe in sometime. We had three boats go out today. Two of the three didn't do so well only getting one nice walleye to the boat only to be knocked off by the net. I also went out today, got on the water about 10:00 am and fished until 5:00 pm. Caught nine walleyes, 8 of which were over 20 inches the biggest being just a shy under 26. My only under fish was 19 &7/8. Also caught 8 small mouth bass all around the 17 inch mark but very fat. Will post a photo of the largest fish later tonight or tomorrow. Have to find the usb cord first lol.

I think the fishing will only get better as time goes. The females are just starting to eat again after the spawn and the males are full of smelt, from the smelt run.

Any questions please reply or give me a call @ 1-605-264-5465

Dustin

FLW Tourn. Results for Lake Sharpe

2008-05-12T13:45:00.002-05:00

Here is the link for the results of the Tourn. that went on last week down in Pierre. Looks like there were some nice fish caught over the four days.
http://walleyetour.flwoutdoors.com/tournament.cfm?cid=5&t=results

Good luck fishing everyone. Any questions Give me a call @ 1-605-264-5465

Lake Oahe on May 9 and 11

2008-05-12T08:21:00.002-05:00

The weather has made fishing challenging. We had two decent days sandwiched around wind, some rain and cooler temps. Surface water temperature has been running 48 to 50 degrees. The few fisherman out in this area are catching a lot of smallies and a few walleye. Each are nice sized, 17-18 inch smallies, 20+ inch walleye. Fish are being caught in shallow water, most in the back of bays, where weeds are coming up.

Pierre and surrounding areas

2008-05-08T11:13:00.003-05:00

Over the past couple weeks have made it out on the water a couple of times. Below the dam the fishing is still great. You have to pick through the little ones but should have no problem bring in a limit of 16- 18 inch fish, with an occasional fish over 20. Just on Monday saw a walleye that was 33.5 inches long caught pulling plugs.

Southern Lake Oahe is slow but the fish caught are very nice. i went out on Wednesday of this week and pulled plugs around little bend for a couple of hours and caught two smallies that were 17+ and two northern that were between 6 and 8 pounds. Mobridge is starting to pick up, but people are having a hard time catching fish under 20 inches

The Salmon bite is starting to pick up as well. Most people are fishing for them around the intakes but you can find them most places on the lake.

The PWT is here this week fishing below the dam will post the final weights on Monday May 12th.
Any questions about the fishing give me a call @ 1-605-264-5465

Lake Sharpe Outing

2008-04-14T18:56:00.002-05:00

Fished Lake Sharpe on Sunday, April 13th. Caught 4 nice walleye in 8 to 10 foot with jig and a minnow. We fished about 3 hours around Farm Island. Dusty

2008-03-31T12:39:00.002-05:00

I tried northern fishing with dead smelt on Sunday (3/30) afternoon in the Little Bend area and caught nothing. It was not an ideal day with lots of clouds and cool temps. I am going to be busy and won't get to try it again for a week or so.

The lake was about 50% ice covered. Where the ice is depends on the wind. It should be gone in a few days. - Dusty

Ice Out Progress

2008-03-28T17:26:00.002-05:00

The ice is retreating along the shorelines in the Little Bend area. Down by the big dam, there is quite a bit of open water, with some boats launching. I plan to try some shoreline northern fishing this weekend and post a report Monday. Dusty

Update: Lakes Oahe & Sharpe

2008-03-24T12:11:00.003-05:00

Hope you had a great Easter. It looks like another week of cool weather coming up. Lake Oahe is still frozen except for a ribbon of open water along the shoreline. The ribbon is no more than 20 feet wide. The ice is looking pretty dark. There has been a slightly larger open area in Engineer's Bay down by the dam. I saw a vehicle by the water there, but am not sure if they were fishing.

I did get out on Lake Sharpe this weekend with a friend. We put in down stream from Pierre and fished around trees between Antelope Creek and Stoney Point. We caught about 40 walleyes over about 3 hours of fishing. A few smaller ones, but most were in the upper teens. We caught them on jigs tipped with a minnow in about 8 feet of water.

Check back, I'll keep you posted. - Dusty

Lake Update

2008-03-10T14:47:00.005-05:00

Lake Oahe is still ice covered here, but with warm weather we should be catching norherns like these.

Some of Last Year's Catches

2008-03-08T21:13:00.003-06:00

Big Walleyes were being caught all summer. This one was no different.