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Lake Sharpe Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Lake Sharpe: an 80-mile Missouri River reservoir from Oahe Dam to Big Bend Dam, where walleye lead the catch and several ramps have silted in.

Partly tribal land. Part of Lake Sharpe’s shore is Lower Brule Sioux Tribe land, and the tribe maintains four of its ramps. On tribal land the tribe’s rules apply: check with the tribe before fishing from those sites. Source, read October 5, 2026.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~55 F est.
Air / High
80 / 83 F
Wind
S 22 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Lake Sharpe rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 22 mph, falling pressure near 1004 hPa and a high of 83. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:15 AM-12:15 PM and 10:45 PM-12:45 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeExcellent

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

White bassGood

The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55°F.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 67 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

South Dakota requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $41.00 for residents. What a South Dakota licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing walleye here? Check the size and bag limits with SD GFP before you keep anything. The season dates for South Dakota, read off the agency, are on the South Dakota seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp80 F
High / Low83 / 59 F
WindS 22-30 mph
Pressure1004.1 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 13%
Sunrise / Sunset08:04 / 18:41
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Lake Sharpe this week

Today is the pick of the week on Lake Sharpe, at 4 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
10:15 AM-12:15 PM and 10:45 PM-12:45 AM
Minor period
4:39 AM-5:39 AM
Sun
08:04 to 18:41
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 22 mph
Rain chance
13%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Sharpe: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55°F.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

When to come: the Lake Sharpe calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
White bass
Smallmouth bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Lake Sharpe today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 79 F, wind to 16 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 72 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 17 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

South Dakota requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

South Dakota fishing license. Walleye and other limits are in the current GFP fishing handbook for the Missouri River reservoirs.

Access

Farm Island Recreation Area (boat ramps, fishing piers, two campgrounds), Oahe Downstream and West Bend are the main access areas GFP names; Joe Creek was the first fully working ramp below Fort George. Check ramp status before towing.

About this water

80-mile, 57,000-acre Missouri River reservoir between Oahe Dam (Pierre) and Big Bend Dam, central South Dakota (GFP Lake Sharpe management plan, 2017).

Fishing Lake Sharpe: the full guide

A flow-through reservoir

South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks describes Lake Sharpe as an 80-mile, 57,000-acre flow-through reservoir on the Missouri River, from Oahe Dam at Pierre to Big Bend Dam. Hipple Lake and LaFramboise Bay are large, warmer backwaters on the upper lake that GFP research ties to the production of prey and sport fish.

What anglers catch

In GFP’s angler surveys, walleye are the most harvested species, followed by smallmouth bass, white bass and channel catfish, and about two-thirds of anglers target walleye. GFP rates walleye growth as generally good. Smallmouth bass have sustained themselves since stocking ended in 1991, and catchable rainbow trout are the only salmonid GFP stocks every year.

Access

Shore access is best on the upper third of the lake: in Pierre and Fort Pierre, at Hipple Lake and at Farm Island Recreation Area, four miles east of Pierre off SD Highway 34. GFP’s 2017 plan counts 25 boat ramps, four of them maintained by the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, but sediment had left DeGrey, Fort George, North Bend, Cedar Creek and Antelope Creek unusable or close to it, and much of the middle lake is hard to reach by boat.

Common questions

What is the main fish?

Walleye: the most harvested and most targeted species in GFP’s surveys.

Are all the ramps usable?

No. GFP reports that sediment has made several ramps, including DeGrey, unusable or nearly so; plan on Farm Island, Oahe Downstream, West Bend or Joe Creek and check conditions.

Is Lake Sharpe stocked?

GFP stocks catchable rainbow trout every year; smallmouth bass reproduce naturally.

Is fishing good at Lake Sharpe right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Lake Oahe37 miLake Francis Case51 miNiobrara River95 miLake Thompson114 miMerritt Reservoir123 miLake Poinsett134 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 44.2000, -99.7500 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.