KWAT’s Outdoor Report for week of September 28, 2020

Aberdeen Area
Fishing Report
Richmond: Anglers have been catching walleyes, white bass, and perch. The perch bite has seemed to be taking off. Fishermen have been using minnows and having the best luck. Seems to be the best fishing towards the evening.
Elm: Anglers have been catching walleye, perch, and northern pike. It seems that live bait has been working best for these species with minnows being the most common.
Wylie: This lake has been stocked by the Game, Fish, and Parks with white bass, bluegill, and smallmouth bass. Great spot for kids to do some fishing and enjoy a resource that is close to Aberdeen.
Elm River: Anglers have been having some success catching walleyes and a few Northern Pike from time to time.
James River: Anglers seem to be catching a variety of different species with the most common being channel catfish. If you want to get out and just catch some fish, the James River has been producing.
Mina: Small walleyes, perch, and some bluegills are being caught.

Hunting Report
Waterfowl: There are still plenty of geese in the area as well as surrounding counties. Hunting over decoys in wheat and silage fields seem to be the best for Canada geese. The duck season is now open. With all the water in the area there seems to be plenty of ducks in the area. Take the time to scout and find the slough where they seem to be targeting and the hunting has the potential to be successful. Also, the weather seems to be cooling off with the evening lows reaching the 30’s and 40’s. This will have some ducks moving and some new ones showing up, great time to hunt a variety of ducks.
Deer: Archery deer season has been open for about a month now and the deer seem to be moving more with the recent cool temperatures. Brown county has a good number of deer in the area. If you are a bow hunter, get out and enjoy some deer hunting as the weather will take care of the mosquitos.
Doves: There are still some doves in the area, but with recent cool temperatures a lot of doves have started bunching up and getting ready to migrate there way south. If you still plan to hunt doves it would be in your best interest to get out now before they make their way to warmer temperatures.

Clark County
Fishing Report

Dry 2: Picking up slightly with fall fishing producing a few walleyes and some smaller perch.
Dry 1: Anglers have seen a few walleyes from shore, but it has been very dependent on the spot.
Swan: Still producing a few small walleyes, but not seeing much over 14 inches.

Hunting Report

Waterfowl: A little tough for the opener – seeing fewer ducks than expected. Not many teal, but seeing some geese still getting harvested. Seems as though the geese are starting to bunch up. Heard a few specs flying over late night, so the migration may be kicking in with the cooler temps and high winds.

Codington County
Fishing Report

Goose: Boat fishermen are still catching a few walleyes, most of which continue to be between 14 and 16 inches. A few perch are getting mixed in as well. The boat ramp in the NW corner has been repaired and is functional. Please be advised that there is no approach going into the ramp at this time and access is through the ditch.
Kampeska: Fishermen are still catching a mixed bag of fish from shore and by boat, including (northern pike, white bass, perch, crappie, bluegill and walleye.)
Pelican Lake: Little fishing activity.
Blythe Slough: Opened to boating on September 1st.

Hunting Report

Dove: Most doves have moved out of the area with the cooler temperatures.
Geese: Starting to see geese in harvest corn and bean fields.
Ducks: There are still a few sloughs holding good numbers of ducks, haven’t seen much of any northern push.
Deer: Archery deer hunting continues to be slow, with warmer temperatures.
Pheasant: Youth pheasant opened on Sat. September 26th at 10:00 am and goes through October 4th. Youth should have decent success this year. Hunters are reminded to identify birds, as there seems to be quite a few that are just starting to get their color.

Day County
Fishing Report

Due to the high water and safety hazard of a potential vehicle and pedestrian accident, the county is no longer allowing pedestrians on the Grenville grade, Day Co 1 north of Hwy 12 to 140th St., and Yellowstone trail from Main St. to Day Co 1. Also, if you are shore fishing make sure you are parked in a legal parking spot and it is not posted as no parking.

North Rush: Anglers are having some success catching perch and a few walleyes.
Waubay: Fishing pressure has been on the light end, but anglers are having success catching a few walleyes.
Bitter: Fishing pressure has been minimal but anglers trying it have reported catching a few perch and walleye.

Hunting Report
Dove: Still good opportunity in the area to harvest some doves before cold temperatures arrive.
Deer: Hunters having been in the field quite a bit with a few nice deer being harvested this season already.
Waterfowl: Local ducks and geese are spread throughout the county.

Hamlin County
Fishing Report

Poinsett: Anglers have reported a fair bite. It has been a mix bag of walleye, perch, crappie, and smallmouth bass.

Hunting Report

Ducks: It was a good weekend for activity around the area. Some hunters did better than others. Looked like plenty of teal around to make for some fun hunts.
Canada Geese: This past weekend there was less activity, but the opportunity still presents itself if one wanted to hunt these birds.
Doves: There are a few doves around, but it is getting slimmer due to temperature.

Marshall County
Fishing Report

Opitz: Some limits of walleye being caught. Healthy looking fish. Remember size restriction and length limit on this body of water.
Roy: A few walleye and bass being caught.
Clear: Some panfish and bass being caught. The occasional walleye.

Hunting Report
Dove: Few doves in the county.
Geese: Good goose numbers in the area. Plenty of opportunity out there.
Deer: Archery season is in full swing. Great time to take a kid out and harvest a youth/apprentice tag.

Park Report:
Pelican Lake Recreation Area:
Come on out to Pelican Lake Recreation Area during the month of October and take part in the self-guided activity “Creatures of the Night Hike and Seek”. Can you find what goes bump in the night? In this self-guided activity, we’re challenging you to find several nighttime creatures of South Dakota! Just hike the trails at participating state parks and Outdoor Campuses, keeping your eyes open for the informational signs and hidden nocturnal animal pictures along the way. Find them all and email us the secret code words to enter the prize drawing! You can find the full list of details by going to https://gfp.sd.gov/hike-and-seek/.

Mina Lake Recreation Area:
What is more beautiful in the fall than holding a warm cup of coffee and looking at the lake.
Book our Modern Cabin at Mina Lake Recreation Area for this fall. The modern cabin is still available for South Dakota pheasant opener October 17th-18th.