It is a beautiful place to visit and/or fish. I always thought South Dakota was “God’s Country” until I moved out to Idaho 
Here’s the bad news, for this year anyway. The ice conditions just plain stink. They are waaay behind on ice production due to an unseasonably warm fall and early winter. We filmed on a sketchy 5-7″ of ice with some awful pressure ridges to navigate in multiple directions.
A typical season ice season out there runs from mid January through late February or very early March at best. Late ice can be very dangerous, it’s a reservoir in the mountains with significant snowfall. Once that snow starts to melt in late February, the current increases and water level and ice rises. An afternoon last year we had to skip snowmobiles across 30-40 yards of open water to get off the ice. That same area was froze solid that morning. The ice forms and acts similar to the ice on our lower Missouri River reservoirs.
Ok, now that I’ve written about the doom and gloom, it can be plenty safe with planning/timing and just by using your head. It’s not ice like what we’re use to here in the Midwest. You have to be a little more observant. 
Andy
