Missouri river

[jcutler]

Has anyone been fishing on the river in Fort Thomson or Pierre yet.  I'm tring to decide on going would love some input thanks

[Uplandhuntr]

We tried Cheney/Rush (between Pierre and Ft. Thompson) before the snow.  There were 8 people on the ice in different spots around the bay and at the mouth and I never saw a fish hit the ice.  We never had a flag in several hours of fishing, even at dusk.  There was about 6 inches of black ice.  I would guess the road is blown shut now.

I just re-read this and realized I didn't answer your question....never mind.....

Uplandhuntr

[KingCat]

ive always been a little leery of the ice around pierre on the river. Lake Oahe is a different story. But I have had fair success fishing within Farm Island; ice seems to be pretty decent there and access is good. If you had a boat i'd say hit the open water around the bridges if there is any - there's something about floating around and netting an 'eye when it's 25 degrees out.
Sorry, I didn't answer your question very well either!

[jcutler]

what about ice fishing on oahe lake itself anyone had any luck there?

[KingCat]

i fished with some guys from the spring creek area a couple years ago and did well. The Cheyenne area, Whitlock's and up seemed to be pretty good. I saw some pretty massive fish come through the ice, some from spearing some from hook and line. Personally, though, I've always had great luck in the Mobridge area. You don't hear a lot fishing in the Pierre region on Lake Oahe. When the water is stable and ice is good, I've seen some salmon come through, but not sure if that's still going or not. Somedays i miss living near the big river.

[fishing grampa]

I just talked with a friend who lives on Lake Sharpe and he said that the shad have moved in and the fish are not biting above and below the dam at Fort Thompson..  I have heard of a few fish being caught in the Joe Creek area, but every time I plan to go we get more snow and now another blizzard.  This is getting kind of frustrated, I need to go drill some holes, I think I'll start checking up around Whitlock area west of Gettysburg.

Sure would be nice if a few more fishermen would post some reports on here.
The other info is top notch, it is just short on actual reports

Hang in there guys, there is a lot of winter left......

[Crash04]

Was at Ft. Randal dam 2 days ago below the dam.  6 to 7 inches of ice but good ice... fished noon till dark one 15 incher and 17 incher walleye... lots of fish under me but only 2 takers....headin back that way as soon as it stops snowin and blowin

[Uplandhuntr]

Sure would be nice if a few more fishermen would post some reports on here.

Howdy, Fishin'
You inspired me, so my new goal is to post one fishing report each day.....but I'm not sure my boss would think that was so cool....

I'll share when I have first-hand knowledge, but get a bit shy about sharing coffee shop stories that send folks down drifted in roads to drag shacks in on foot for nothing.  Hope that works!!

I do agree though, that for a northern, frozen water state like South Dakota, I thought there would be more folks sharing thoughts on IS, especially in the eastern part of the state with all these lakes waiting for a hole to be drilled.  Either the word isn't out about the website, or all them folks in the permies I drive by don't have wireless access while they are actually FISHING!!!!! 

I have learned a ton on here even without actual fishing reports, guess it is up to me to get out there and put that knowledge to work on the ice.

Good luck when you get out,
Uplandhuntr

[ice dawg]

I would love to share a fishing report with ya. First I have to get on the ice. It seems like every time we get some good ice, we get so much snow that ya can't get on it or get to it due to plugged roads. They are having a national qualifier tournament near Aberdeen this weekend and hopefully this will get the lake accesses cleaned out for the rest of us. I had my wheel house on the ice for two days last year and it hasn't left the driveway yet this year. You can drive to a lake with good intentions just to find that the access is blocked and at my age I'm not about to pull a portable by hand anymore. If ya want a report for the NE lake region, call 605 345 2468 and you will get a report for the Webster area. Good luck on the ice. 

[fishing grampa]

I hear ya!
Seems to be a common thread here, too much cold & snow! 
It does sound like we will get a little relief this coming week!!!
The snow will make it a lot of work getting out there and around!
So take it easy everyone, we don't need to over exert ourselves!

Sure hope the tourny goes well up ther looking forward to seeing the results!!!

Good Luck guys!

[Crash04]

I was at Ft. Randall dam yesterday....NO walleyes... did  see a few on the cam but no takers....I did get a 7 or 8 lb. carp....and fought a paddle fish for 2 hours and got him up to ice and even got my lure back....I say he was around 6 ft. long with his bill or what ever you call it.  It was fun fightin that big boy...

[Uplandhuntr]

I spoke with a guy that fished at Ft. Pierre yesterday and with another guy that visited with a couple of fishermen at Joe Creek today and there was a total of zero fish between all 3 of them....yowsers!!!

[Crash04]

About 10 guys plus me below the dam at Ft randall today and no fish .....

[Marlee W]

I live in Lower Brule haven't fished Fort Thompson yet this year but I heard the shad r all over in the spillway every time we go out to Iron Nation we went home with fish so I think I'll be going to where I know I'm going to be catching them last year I fished in Ft on Lake Sharp just south of the softball field it was hit n miss sometimes we would get skunked but when we caught them they were mostly good size ones (walleyes) and some perch also think I will be staying on Lake Sharp most of this winter maybe we'll see one another out there

[ice dawg]

[quote author=Uplandhuntr link=topic=129955.msg1287963#msg128796

I do agree though, that for a northern, frozen water state like South Dakota, I thought there would be more folks sharing thoughts on IS, especially in the eastern part of the state with all these lakes waiting for a hole to be drilled.  Either the word isn't out about the website, or all them folks in the permies I drive by don't have wireless access while they are actually FISHING!!!!! 
[/quote]To be truthful, probably the biggest reason you don't see very many fishing reports for NESD on here is that every time some information gets posted about a lake it spreads really fast. The next thing that happens is that suddenly there are 500 people on that lake and it becomes a freakin zoo. I have watched too many of the NESD lakes get fished out and they haven't recovered yet. Just my opinion and the opinion of most of the people that I know.

[Uplandhuntr]

Ice Dawg,

I just spent over a half hour composing a rant in agreement with you, especially when it comes to our shallow glacial lakes and ponds here in South Dakota, which are totally different from many of the states that are represented here, and much more susceptable to the over taking of fish, no matter what the limit allow you to take.

However, I would have gotten so blasted by folks that I deleted it to just let you know that my 4 year old doesn't care if the fish are small, just that there are fish to pull on the end the snoopy pole.

I have resigned myself to the fact that I won't find any new fishing holes on this forum, rather will use the new techniques that others are using to explore our lakes to find my own luck.

We like to eat fish, but also take pride in showing personal restraint to ensure the future of a fishery.

Sorry to highjack the thread, everyone.

Keep the great fishing info coming,
Uplandhuntr

[fishing grampa]

Hello again guys!

I can agree with you all about the news speading like wildfire and causing a zoo
but I don't think my post here will incite any riots on the frozen tundra of Lake Sharpe.

It was nice to get out on a very nice day, no wind, lots of sun, 18" of good ice, power auger fired right up,
new popup shanty works good (grandson's will love it when they go with me on Monday kid's tourney),
hey even my wife went with me cause she didn't want me to go alone (and she doesn't think ice and fishing go together)!!!!

Spent the afternoon above the dam near North Shore Boat landing, great time----no fish----
My minnows got nerves every once in a while but no bites,
didn't see any action by the rest of the big crowd (all 3 of them)either.

One positive thought I had yesterday was if the shad are keeping the walleye full-we should have some fat fish next spring, hehe!

Hope all you guys are wintering well, I sure enjoy checking out all the great info here on the "IS".

Oh, say Ice Dawg, how did the tourney qualifier on Richmond go up there the other weekend?



Fishing Gramps

[fishing grampa]

I did tease the wife about being a little tipsy when she took that picture, hehe

[ice dawg]

Uplandhuntr,

I wasn't trying to rant with my reply. I have been to the great Richmond Lake once this year and this is the only time I have been on the ice. I hope to be going to Richmond again today. I have a seven year old grandson that lives with me and has some health issues and I would love to get him on the ice with me. I guess this will happen when I can get my wheel house on the ice to keep him out of the weather. I think I was remembering the days when on an average day there were 1,000 outfits on Waubay on a weekend day. It was like fishing in a small village with no garbage collection services. I spend some time on forums from other states where guys actually call SD people names because we won't reveal hotspots to them. If one does leak out, there will be 500 people on that small lake the next weekend.

[ice dawg]

Oh, say Ice Dawg, how did the tourney qualifier on Richmond go up there the other weekend?

(Image removed from quote.)

Fishing Gramps

There were only about 20 teams that showed up for the qualifier. The Mobridge tournament was on the previous day and I don't know if that had an affect or not. My wife, grandson and I drove out to Richmond and watched for a while. There was too much snow for ATVs unless they had tracks. Snowmobiles dis just fine and pickups were struggling to go anywhere except where there was some kind of road or tracks. I took my vehicle onto the ice and turned around when my wife didn't want to go any farther. That afternoon I took my F250 out and did some fishing. There were people trying new routes and getting stuck on different parts of the lake and there was sluch pockets in some spots. A couple guys from Devils Lake won the qualifier.

[Uplandhuntr]

Ice Dawg, I was in agreement with your post, not accusing you of ranting.  I wasn't trying to be too negative either, which is why I re-thought my last post before posting it.  These smaller lakes are more fragile than most people think, and 2 weeks of limits by 500 fisherfolks adds up in a hurry, so I am in total agreement with you all on that.  I also will travel a ways to catch fish if I hear a bite is on and I am not catching anything locally, but I don't pound on a lake that is producing day after day. 

To each their own.

Regarding the river (trying to get myself back on track here), I had heard that North Shore had picked up just lately, but that those guys were clear out past the mouth of the bay and even up river out of the mouth a ways.  I am still trying to get used to fishing the river and with the current and all, and not sure I like the idea of getting that far out.....yet....

Thanks for the info,
Uplandhuntr

[fishing grampa]

Regarding the river (trying to get myself back on track here), I had heard that North Shore had picked up just lately, but that those guys were clear out past the mouth of the bay and even up river out of the mouth a ways.  I am still trying to get used to fishing the river and with the current and all, and not sure I like the idea of getting that far out.....yet....

Thanks for the info,
Uplandhuntr

Hey, Uplandhuntr

I have been wanting to go up river from there, that's where I spend most of my fishing time during the summer. I have been fishing that area for over 30 years both summer and winter.
I sure wouldn't head up that way with anything other than a snowmoble or an atv, I agree with what you say about getting a little spooked about doing it.  Had good success last year up past the farm but a friend had permission to enter from a landowner up there.  I heard that report also but I heard they where up even farther at that first big bay on the east side north of the farm.

Hey if you are every looking for a fishing partner out of North Shore give me a shout, I am always looking for an excuse to go fishing.........

Fishing Gramps

[Uplandhuntr]

Hey, Uplandhuntr

Hey if you are every looking for a fishing partner out of North Shore give me a shout, I am always looking for an excuse to go fishing.........

Fishing Gramps

Sounds great, there is so much water on the river and so many techniques that I think there is an advantage to having more lines in the water to find the bite.

Uplandhuntr

[KingCat]

really good comments on this thread, not only about the mo river but fishing/overfishing. i think there are very few people aware of this fine ice fishing website forum; i didn't know of it until googling a bunch of ice fishing terms, and iceshanty.com popped up. not sure how to get more commentors on here, but i guess it's about word of mouth.

i've found that on a lot of web sites like this where people share their stories/tips/lakes, people using the site regularly aren't those that will overfish a lake and knock it down to a carp lake. getting the head's up on a hot lake is one thing, being able to get there and fish to prove the reports is another thing, and spending every day on the lake until it's dried up is totally a different thing. i think the first two are possible with IS users, but i don't think the third is something to worry about. at least i hope it's not. i know we all love hammering fish, but i'm under the opinion that true sportsmen anglers will not fish a lake/pond to the point of extinction. with fishing knowledge comes conservation knowledge - it's like shooting spike/yearling bucks every year during deer season and then complaining after a few years that there are no big bucks around. if you conserve the resource, any resource, it will keep on giving.

just my 2 cents -- good fishing all!

[Piking Icehole]

Hey Cat are you mocking my 3 inch spike I shot last fall?  Just kiddin'....but I do agree with your post for the most part.  Most are not going to kill a lake by overfishing but ont the other hand I have heard in the past of people fishing a couple of the East River lakes and having a hard time finding a place to drill a hole after word gets out that the fish are biting but I don't think it is too much of a problem in the Hills area.   

It's kind of like those in the summer that sit in their boat on the river with binnoc's watching other fisherman and when someone is having a little luck and land a couple fish, they are suddenly surrounded by about 50 boats.  It certainly doesn't always happen that way but when it does....it really sucks!  Especially if you are the one drawing the crowd. 

Either way, I do think that most on here are pretty good about that stuff and many already have their winter fishing hole that they prefer to go to even if there are rumors of a bite being on elsewhere. 

Either way, I think an argument can be made either way so I guess if someone wants to share a story or two about their luck, or lack of it in my case, then I would encourage them to do so.  I guess that is kind of what we are all here for anyways....right?

[fishing grampa]

Hey  Kingcat & Piking Icehole,
Is there much fishing pressure out there in the hills?  I would think that there would be a great multitude of ice fishermen out there, but maybe not because there is so much other stuff to do, like skiing, etc..

Yes, we see those binnoc's(aka Iowa fish finders) a lot here on the river, gets frustrating sometimes.  Don't seem to have that problem ice fishing......

I agree that most of the guys on the iceshanty seem to be pretty conservation minded, and at the same time, very protective of their favorite lakes. 

Maybe just because our fishing here on this part of the river is so bad this year (shad running thick)that we are just wanting a fishing report so we can see that there is maybe hope somewhere. 

I took 2 grandsons to a small kids ice fishing tourney today, 20 some adults and around 40+ kids, it was so slow one guys caught the only 2 walleyes and 3 kids each caught a perch, now that was a slooooow day!!!!

Not catching much here but at least I'm getting out and having fun......

Fishin Gramps

[Uplandhuntr]

Hey Fishin',

Where is that kid's tourney at, and who sponsors it?  I would like to take it in next year, but haven't seen any info on it....course I don't get out much either....haha.

Too bad it was slow, even the little fishes weren't bitin' for the kids, huh?

Thanks,
Uplandhuntr

[fishing grampa]

Hey Fishin',

Where is that kid's tourney at, and who sponsors it?  I would like to take it in next year, but haven't seen any info on it....course I don't get out much either....haha.

Too bad it was slow, even the little fishes weren't bitin' for the kids, huh?

Thanks,
Uplandhuntr

It was put on by the Diamond Willow Church right there at the North Shore boat landing, very small, just mostly for members and friends(like me)
I did help some down there when it was being built.

[Piking Icehole]

Well fishing grampa it really isn't that bad in the hills.  Many of the folks prefer to ice fish the trout lakes as they seem to catch more fish and have more fun I guess but I prefer to fish mostly for the perch and pike through the ice which means I am to just a couple lakes for some good fishin' but those lakes are fairly good size for the hills area which also means that it is not nearly as crowded as it could be. 

Of course the skiing and snowmobiling are keeping people busy as well.  It has been another good season of winter sports in the Black Hills.  Talked to some skiers a couple weeks ago who were from out of town and they claimed that our snow is the best in the country which is a bit hard to believe but they were from Colorado so who knows.  Of course it was also right after we got dumped on during Christmas so that certainly didn't hurt things

Speaking of crowded, we are gearing up for an ice fishing tournament at Sheridan Lake in a couple weeks which means that it will be full of ice fishing fanatics but that is ok.  It is always a great time and a guy still has a very decent chance at doing well....just a matter of being in the right place at the right time as usual. 

The winter bite has been hit and miss with the perch/pike but always a joy to get outdoors and the trout are always an option if you are not picky. 

Glad to see that you are introducing the youth to the sport of ice fishing as it seems there are too many kids sitting around the tv instead of enjoying the great outdoors like we all used to do, so anytime there is an opportunity to get them out and about...it is a good thing!

Hope all is going well on the River.....hope to make it down there this summer for some open water fun!