FISHING REPORT LAKES OAHE/LAKE SHARPE PIERRE AREA FOR JULY 22 THRU 31 2022

[Hutch]

I will start this report the same way I started my last report with. Hot weather is here. Many days the heat index is in the 100's so bring along plenty of water and sunscreen. Getting up early is not a bad idea on some of these hot days as getting on the water early to get off earlier with your fish can be a lot more comfortable way to go. The report for Oahe is similar to the last one. Lots of little 13-inch walleye with the bigger fish harder to come by in most bags. I am not sure if that is due to less numbers of the bigger year class fish or just that the littler fish are eating all the time hence beating the bigger ones to the bait. Whatever the reason it is harder to come in with limits of quality walleye. Lots of catfish and some smallmouth bass two so getting action on the big lake is good as getting bites isn't usually a problem. Just getting bigger walleye is harder. I have been using propeller blades with nightcrawler/bouncer rigs and fishing mostly the 25 to 35 fow depths and coming in with limits but that does mean we are keeping some smaller fish on most days to fill the limits. Minnow rigs leech rigs and pulling plugs all work so if you have a favorite presentation to use try that first. I think if you are just looking for the big ones crank bait fishing for suspended walleye might be the ticket to fewer but bigger ones. On Lake Sharpe action has also slowed down and I think maybe because of the huge amount of bait fish/hatches. It seems like everywhere you go you mark clouds of bait so the fish just have lots to eat making catching harder. Generally speaking, the fish have moved deeper on Sharpe  i.e.  25 fow to even 40 fow but don't overlook areas of shallow water that has feeding fish in ten feet or less if hatches of bait are present. This scenario makes finding them much harder now on both lakes. Presentations on Sharpe are the same with nightcrawler/bouncer rigs the favorite. One of the main reasons for the nightcrawler favorite is they are just easier to keep in your boat fresh. Minnows die in the heat real fast if you don't use the right cooler/oxygen combination's so using crawlers is much easier. The fish are biting them, so most guides are going that way now. The other methods work but require more attention to using them with changing water special cooler oxygen set ups  etc. a must in the heat. I hesitate to use the term the dog days of summer as it implies a slow bite and actually most days that isn't true. Getting fish is happing but size is hard so if big fishing is what you're after maybe the dog days are here. The lake has been very busy with crowds of fishermen so be prepared on weekends for busy boat ramps and cleaning stations. Thank you to all of my repeat and new customers for coming. I am very lucky to have such great folks to take fishing and create fishing stories. I am having a great career and a whole bunch of great times because of all of you.

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