Lakes Oahe/Sharpe Pierre Area fishing report for July 4th 5th and 6th 2013

[Hutch]

Well if you were here over the 4th of July you probably know you were not the only angler around. It was as busy a 4th of July week end as I can recall and I think for the most part every one had a good time with the weather just great and the fishing exceptional at least for numbers of walleye on both Sharpe and Oahe. I fished just about as nice a family and friend the Jeff Jarrell group to an easy 17 inch avg. size limit of walleye down at West Bend on Sharpe and everyone had a great time. They had expressed a desire to be back in Pierre for the rodeo and fire works so we put the last limit fish in the box around 1:00 o'clock and headed back. A great way to spend the 4th getting rodeo's, fireworks and fishing all in. A super bunch. I then guided (along with NE John, Scott Van Lyre and Larry Porter helping) the Cory Jacobs group of 13 brother's kids and relatives for one day on Oahe and one day down at the bend. Another great bunch that all of us guides enjoyed taking fishing. We fished on Sharpe in different depth's getting fish from 10 fow to 23 fow along break lines and flat's. We used both night crawlers/minnows on bottom bouncer's and gulp. On Oahe we used the same presentation catching their 88 fish limits in around a 20 fow average. We did have a good number of over fish mixed in with the smaller bonus fish so both lakes were good to this group and the weather was just as nice as you can get. I have said all along when you take the weather factor into account along with the fishing July is maybe our best month especially for family's. The over all picture on Oahe is still lot's of numbers but tougher to get bigger fish in your bag. Once again as a guide I do not target the big fish but go after the number's and taking the big fish that come up from the deeper water and beat the little fish to the bait. I think many of the bigger walleye are chasing suspended hatch's of bait in anywhere from the surface down to 30 fow over 60 to 80 fow making targeting them much harder for any big numbers right now. Anglers wanting maybe 5 big fish a day might try pulling plugs in these water depths. Probably not numbers this way but quality fish if you can run across them. I would like to thank the Cory Jacobs family and all the family's that I guide that bring their kid's along showing them the fishing sport. It is these kids that will continue to provide a future for fishing and maybe someday they will take their own kids fishing keeping the sport alive. Remember fly repellent and sun screen as summer is here. The bait of choice for me is either night crawlers or Berkeley gulp pumpkinseed fry's on bottom bouncer's but almost any way you like to catch a walleye works right now.

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Hutch