Guide To The Best Fishing Lakes In South Dakota

Top places to fish for bass, catfish, crappie and more in SD.

Big Stone Lake, Lake Oahe, Lake Poinsett, Lake Sharpe, Lake Thompson and Lewis And Clark Lake are the most popular places for fishing in South Dakota, offering anglers the chance to pursue a variety of fish species. In winter, once the ice is safe, many of these lakes afford the opportunity to go ice fishing.

Bass Lakes
Catfish Lakes
Crappie Lakes
Sunfish & Perch Lakes
Walleye Lakes
Trout Lakes
Salmon Lakes

Bass

Angostura Reservoir, Big Stone Lake, Lake Kampeska, Lake Oahe, Lake Poinsett, Lake Sharpe, Lewis And Clark Lake, Shadehill Reservoir and Waubay Lake are considered the best options for largemouth and smallmouth bass. More...

Catfish

Lake Oahe, Lake Poinsett, Lake Sharpe and Lewis And Clark Lake are favorite options for channel, blue, white and flathead catfish. More...

Crappie

Big Stone Lake, Lake Poinsett, Lake Sharpe, Lake Thompson and Lewis And Clark Lake are the most popular for black and white crappie. More...

Sunfish, Perch & Panfish

Big Stone Lake, Lake Poinsett, Lake Sharpe, Lake Thompson and Lewis And Clark Lake are popular spots to fish for bluegill, bream, perch and other sunfish. More...

Walleye

Angostura Reservoir, Big Stone Lake, Lake Francis Case, Lake Kampeska, Lake Oahe, Lake Poinsett, Lake Sharpe, Lake Thompson, Lewis And Clark Lake, Shadehill Reservoir and Waubay Lake are considered the top locations for walleye fishing. More...

Trout

Lake Oahe is the favorite, major lake for lake trout. More...

Salmon

Lake Oahe, Lake Poinsett and Lake Sharpe are the most popular for chinook salmon fishing. More...

Visit the South Dakota fishing page for links to information covering a wide variety of fish species and destinations in the state. Visit the South Dakota map to identify your best route to these top fishing locations. Look to our sister site for additional information about boating in SD at many of the most popular destinations in the state.