Bitter/Waubay or LOTW

Looking for opinions from guys that have been out to SD.

I am setting a trip for my neighbors and myself for the middle/end of January to middle of February sometime. I have a line on a ice castle rental on Bitter or Waubay he said whichever one is doing better at the time.

My question is how is the fishing on those 2 lakes versus lake of the woods. I have never been to SD, but have been to lotw multiple times.

The guys i am taking are not huge into fishing, but like to catch some fish while having a good time.

Where would you take them?

I’ve been to Bitter and Waubay multiple times and had good luck on some trips and not so good on other trips. The evening walleye bite on Bitter can be really good and supposedly the lake has some big perch in it but we never capitalized on that. Bitter will have a small city of ice castles on it all winter. Waubay has treated us good most of the the time for nice perch and decent walleye you have to be mobile to get on them but it’s got some nice fish in it. I’ve only been to LOW once in my life so can’t say anything towards that. Mobility is the key on Bitter & Waubay in my opinion. Good Luck !!

I have been going out to Webster for the past 4 years. I only fished Waubay once in all those years. SD has so much to choose from in that area, though what I learned last year about the big bodies of water was what some guide told me the first year I was out there when we were out to dinner… “Its basin fishing… you sit and wait for the school to come through catch a few and then wait some more” If I was in an ice castle and enjoying time with friends I would look at SD. You could fill your bucket with nice perch and eyes with an all day sit.
I will be out there again at the start of Jan. We are going to start on Waubay the first morning, depending upon the bite may move to one of the 100’s of local potholes to get on the bite.

I wouldn’t hire that guide.

A couple of us are heading out there between Christmas and New year’s. It will be are first time out there

Brad – is there decent public access to these “…100’s of local potholes to get on the bite”? Are these, for the most part, located adjacent to roads or have some kind of landing?

Been too both quite a few times. There are a lot of options in the Waubay area and fishing can be real spotty, but if you get on them it can be very good, especially if you find the perch. Out there it seems like you have to be constantly searching as one day you might nail them in a spot, but the next day they are completely gone. LOTW seems to be more consistent overall as the resorts keep you on fish and you get decent numbers, but up there we’ve never really done extremely well. I prefer Waubay as its closer and easier to pull the fish house there versus staying a resort at LOTW, but both are good options.

SD would be my first choice. You can fish some many other fish and bounce from pond to pond. Get a tribal tag also and you can pretty much get out any place. We have had a ton of fun out there.

I have no experience in SD. But it’s hard to beat LOW imo, especially for the inexperienced or social fisherpeople. It’s bankers hours fishing, with plenty of night life and cool experiences (track vans, igloo bar etc.)

Waubay is my go-to now. Way better drive than LOW and nicer fish. Really depends on what you want to do:

Fish quality: Waubay
Fish variety: Waubay
Eel Pout: LOW
Night bite: Waubay
Night life: LOW
Driving from The Cities: Waubay
Bonus: Waubay, you can fish 4 lines per person.

Who did you get a shack from in South Dakota?

I have my own IC and usually bring portables too. Call Sportsmans Cove at 605 345 2468, they should be able to help you find someone who rents houses.

Was out to Waubay last year for the first time and and hammered the perch and walleyes thirty degrees in a snow storm. Then the next day it dropped to 10 below and fishing slowed as suspected. We are going back out their the first week of January using JR’s ice shack rental first trip we have used him.

The Glacial Lakes are of SD has been starting to catch on quite a bit in the last few years. But, IMO, it’s still one of the most underrated fisheries in within driving distance (relative to places like LOW, Red, Devil’s Lake, etc, which get overhyped). The opportunity is there for trophy/quality walleye, perch, and pike. Not to mention, I’ve caught numerous large smallmouth through the ice out there, which is a blast.

Thanks guys, going to head to SD for the first time. Going to LOTW in March so this should be a fun first for me and the house we are looking at renting will be comfy for the guys that dont fish much.

I will say to be careful going to the 100s of potholes. Some are getting closed down and I fear it is just the beginning. Either of those lakes are pretty solid options. I live in the area and have never wanted to leave to go fish another area. It really is underrated. I would also think about Poinsett. It’s minimum length limit got lifted and there are hundreds of 14.5-14.75″ walleyes in there. There are also some jumbo perch and crappies. I would come middle of January if I was the one planning the trip. Seems to be a good time to fish those lakes.

Poinset has good perch and after Jan 1 they lift the size restriction so you can catch 14 to 15 inch walleye all day

It was lifted December 4th. They changed the date.

I would call JR Anderson with JR’s ice shacks at 605-265-0061. He’s a buddy of mine, he has 12 ice castles he rents out. Good dude