Non resident fishing lic.

[toothfish]

I looked on the SD state site for this info but did not find an answer to my question.
What day in December can an out of state fisherman buy a 2007 lic.?
What is the duration of a year fishing lic.? Start date to exp. date ?

Background : One year I just happen to stop and buy a SD fishing lic. on the first day the new licensing year. This gave me a lic. that was good for two ice fishing seasons. At $60 it was nice to go back the next December and not have cough up another $60. I was thinking it was the 10th or 12th of dec.

Can anyone shed some light on this matter ?

[ice dawg]

I called the local baitshop and he said you can get one on Dec 15th and it will be good until Jan 31 2008.

[toothfish]

Thanks !! 
We are thinking of the weekend of 9th & 10th....if there is enough ice. Have to wait and see..the following weekend would be better for the lic. thing!!!  Maybe ice wise as well !! Time will tell !!

[ice dawg]

I don't know what the ice will be like the first half of December. Probably too thin for an old fat guy like me. I think you can get a three day license too if you want one. I'm kinda old for pulling my portable on the ice unless my son the pack horse is along. I usually wait till I can get my atv on the ice. This has been a bad year for me. Heart surgery and cancer surgery, so I'm kinda taking it as easy as I can. I'm gonna get on Waubay Lake one way or the other. 

[toothfish]

A three day lic. would be fine ...except we have been staying 4 days
Why isn't there a 7 day lic. available ??  Underlying motive ...If one vacations for a week in SD , a year lic. is all that's available.
 $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[ice dawg]

toothfish, we have a 1 day for $14.00, a three day for $32.00 and an annual license for $61.00. I guess it would be cheapest to just buy the annual rather than a 3 day license twice. The guy at the bait shop thinks you can buy any combination like a 3 day and a 1 day if you come for 4 days. I would think a 10 day license for people coming for a week would be a good idea. If I understood how our Game, Fish and Parks department functioned I would be a happy man. As an out of state fisherman, you might want to get on the South Dakota Home Page and ask them why they don't have such a thing. I suppose they think that if a three day license costs $32.00, an annual license for $61.00 is a real steal.  By the way, it should be making good ice at this time, but the wind is blowing about 25 mph which makes for bad ice.

[adammd]

I called the local baitshop and he said you can get one on Dec 15th and it will be good until Jan 31 2008.

Seriously???   I am about ready to get one (Im from NE) but just assumed they were good for a year only.  Is it only this one day that you can get them or anyday after Dec 15th.  And is this good for both on-line or baitshop bought.  Thanks

[toothfish]

Seriously???   I am about ready to get one (Im from NE) but just assumed they were good for a year only.  Is it only this one day that you can get them or anyday after Dec 15th.  And is this good for both on-line or baitshop bought.  Thanks

The 15th is the FIRST day one can purchase a 2007 lic. which is good till jan. 31st of 2008. One can NOT purchase a 2007 lic until Dec. 15th. This means if I go ice fishing on  the 10th of dec. , my lic.will only be good till jan.31st of 2007. If I would go on or any day after  the 15th of Dec. and buy a lic. on or after the 15th, it would cover me for two ice fishing seasons!   Whew.....

[toothfish]

adammd

Do you fish ...I think they are called ..the refuge lakes or something like that ??
How about Merritt reservoir??
I have a Walleye on the wall from Merritt. It was many years ago. We also fished trout in the river below Merritt. There was a resort on the river at that time . I hear it's a private club area now.

[adammd]

toothfish

Never fished the refuge lakes or Merritt.  I am in Omaha (via the sioux city area) so I stick mainly to this area, and the Mo river from Yankton to sioux city.  My parents live in SD now so I am trying to get up and fish SD more, plus you guys get more ice!!!!!

[eyewinder]

Toothfish:

Having just moved from Nebraska to Wyoming, I'm a little familiar with Merritt and that area.

It's my understanding that all of the Snake River below Merritt is private, and expensive to fish (great trout water, I'm told).

I haven't fished the refuge lakes for a number of years.  Drought has hurt, and a few years of producing huge bluegill gave those lakes a reputation that led to overfishing for panfish.  It would still be fun to go there and run tipups for pike (there's lots of them, and a slot limit keeps some big girls in the lakes); but warm winters have made it tough to speculate on when there will be fishable ice.

[toothfish]

Back in the 80s We stayed at the resort on the river below Merritt..snake river ? Hiked in and fished trout during the day and fished Merritt for big eyes at night . Trout were wild and some real monsters were caught (not by me  ) ....The guy on the lake ...Davenport was his name (I think).. ...ran a guide service on Merritt. Back then 12 to 14 lbers were caught. Seen the locals one night fishing from shore and kicking the big eyes up on the sand when caught....That was the hey days on Merritt. The river resort was sold and turned to some sort of private club and the big eyes were fished down to nothing. They say there is no natural reproduction of walleye in that lake. It's an irrigation supply lake and water levels swing wildly from spring to fall.

[eyewinder]

Davenport sold his resort on Merritt a year or so ago to a fellow named John Bauer.  I believe that it's still a relatively decent walleye lake, but doesn't produce the size fish you mention.

Ice fishermen at Merritt catch perch, crappie, some northern. . .again, unstable winters (as in warm-cold-warm-warm-warm) have made fishing it an adventure, and ice fishermen have died there during recent winters.