FISHING REPORT LAKES OAHE/SHARPE PIERRE AREA FOR JULY 2ND THRU JULY 8TH 2020

[Hutch]

Fishing on Oahe is very good (excellent). Almost all boaters with any experience are coming in with limits of walleye. Size is also good on Oahe with most bags having some 17 to 19 inch fish included with smaller eaters. I am guiding along with Ne John the Robinson group of repeat customers and due to a strong storm cell in the area we decided to spend the first day down at west bend as the storm had cleared there early. I hadn't been down there since around May so I wanted to see what was going on. We caught 27 smaller walleye needing 32 for a full limit so actually the bite for that day was harder. Caught most of these in around 20 fow on crawler bouncer rigs. Then today we went on Oahe and limited out with much nicer fish (40) and some numbers of 3 to 4 lb. smallmouth bass. We caught most of these fish deeper than they have been with even the bass coming out of 25 fow on bouncer nightcrawler rigs. Prior to that I was on the water over the 4th getting limits daily in mostly 14  fow or less. There is no doubt that for now Oahe is the best choice for nicer fish in your catches. Lots of little ones also but good numbers of 18 inch or over year class fish. The boat traffic this year is the most I have seen in my career and the 4th of July week was just phenomenal. Every boat ramp in our area was near or full. I do think most of the fishermen caught plenty of fish so that was good. I am not sure why this is but maybe the covid 19 thing has more people buying boats and RV's and heading outdoors to escape the confinement of staying home or maybe just the baby boomer generation arriving. I think everyone is being cautious though and trying to play by the new covid rules so respecting those around you using the great lakes we have is just part of the game. Hot weather is the norm now so drinking lots of water or gator aide type drinks along with lots of sun screen and bug repellant are essential items for a safe trip. I will mention again that wearing Bermuda shorts etc. is cooler and nice but taking along some long pants just in case you get in an area of biting fly's is a very good idea. I am just lucky to have had a real nice bunch of customers over the 4th and along with the bite just had a great 4th and I hope that everyone that used our area enjoyed a great time. A repeat tip for catching more and nicer fish. Watch for areas that other boats are not using and try to stay away from community spots. With the kind of pressure being put on the lake with the number of boats out there doing this will enhance your chances for much nicer limits. The lake has a lot of walleye so moving around until you land on a nice bunch is also a catch improver.

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Hutch

[glenn57]

  thanks for posting these reports hutch. Always enjoy reading them.