May 24th to 28th Lakes Oahe/Sharpe, Pierre SD Fishing Report

[Hutch]

The fishing for all species except salmon is excellent but spring weather (windy days) causing uncomfortable conditions. I guided Mark Morton and family from NE. to possession limits of walleye and some smallmouth and northern on Oahe catching over 70 fish and keeping limits of 18 inch avg. size fish with son Tyler catching the big fish of the trip a 27 incher. We caught these fish on Oahe around the Cheyenne river area in 7 to 10 fow on bouncer/crawler rigs and the new Berkeley gulp crawlers. We caught just as many and the biggest fish using gulp. I then guided Don and Nat Klatt from Mn. on Oahe using the same methods but they got unlucky with one day producing 35 mph winds. We caught limits of walleye but that day kept smaller fish (15 to 17 inchers) The next day was windy but not as bad and we did much better keeping limits of around a 18 inch avg. walleye with a couple of nice over's to 23inches. We also caught at least 50 walleye releasing the smaller fish. A couple of great guys and we had a great time. I then took Terry Williamson and his wife from down Georgia way out in another 35 mph wind. We decided to fish the big bend area of Sharpe to stay out of the wind as much as possible and that worked as we ended of catching limits of 17 inch avg. size walleye with 2 over 20 inches. Again we probably caught and released well over 50 fish to do this so Sharpe is going great also. We caught these fish on crawlers but in around 15 to 20 fow. This brings me to mention that I went through around 25 light wire hooks on these trips because many of the little fish swallow the hook and the only way I know to give them a good chance to survive is buy cutting the hook, leaving it in the fish with maybe 6 inches of leader. I am going to give Berkeley gulp another plug. I have noticed that almost all the fish we were catching on gulp were lip hooked so were released without cutting a lot of hooks. A real plus making this stuff a great way to catch them. I cut there new long worm in half and fish it on a plain hook and have no trouble with hook sets and they bite these artificial baits just about as good as crawlers. Because of the release factor I am going to use this presentation more this summer. I favor there pumpkin seed worm but cutting the longer ones in half gets the size right for our Lakes. All presentations like spinner fishing and plug fishing are working. A windy but great fishing memorial day week end.

Hutch's Guide Service

Hutch