Ice Out Lake Oahe

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.