New to the area and need some help!

Hey everyone, my name is Sam Smith and I just moved to Sioux Falls for a new job. Along with a couple beat up couches, a TV, and a coffee pot, I obviously also brought along all of my fishing gear in hopes of truly enjoying the South Dakota experience. I am writing here now in hopes of getting a few places to start looking. I am not looking for anybody’s secret honey hole or anything like that, just a place I can go wash some baits with a reasonable chance of catching some fish.

I also understand that a simple cry for help might not be the best approach, so here is a little info about me to maybe pull at your heartstrings or just annoy you further…I moved here from South St. Paul, MN and have enjoyed fishing adventures all over the state. I graduated from and played football for the University of Minnesota Crookston (If anyone here is a follower of Augustana or USF, that’s the team you never heard of that they beat by 50) I just started fishing for muskies this summer and was fortunate enough to boat 5 and lose my personal best 3 times including 2 mid to upper 40’s fish. Along with most people I love catching walleyes and also love smallmouth. I have also caught quite a few catfish in my 4 years at college and really enjoyed figuring out a new species. However I have a real place in my heart for big panfish. I don’t have a ton of perch experience, which I understand is a rather big deal here, but I really love giant bluegills and crappies. Essentially I’m just a guy who loves figuring out the puzzle and catching whatever is on the other end.

I also have studied the area around Sioux Falls a little bit and have discovered that it is, at least what I like to call, aquaticly challenged. I know the Northeast corner of SD is some of the best in the midwest, but that makes for a difficult after-work commute for a couple hours of fishing. If anyone knows the area around Sioux Falls and can recommend a couple options, and beyond that anywhere in the state for weekends and when ice season is upon us I would be incredibly grateful.

Thanks ahead of time and for even reading this post in the first place!

Sam Smith (Not the singer)

Hey there Sam; I can’t really help you out since I live in Wi. but I’m sure some nice members on this site will. Just wanted to welcome you to IDO, and good luck out there.

My girlfriend use to live in soo fu, we fished wall and vermilion, limited success, you don’t have to go all the way up north, even with in an hour north of you, twin, 81 ponds, tons of options, check with Dakota angler, bait shop in town there, good luck.

Thanks guys! I appreciate all the good luck and information I can get. My plan was to swing up to Dakota Angler tomorrow after work and pick their brains for a while. Hopefully I can throw a little game plan together. I don’t know a soul in this town yet and if I can’t make human friends, I might as well try for something with a little smaller of a brain….

I’m originally from NESD but currently in the South Central part of the state. Swinging by DA should help you out quite a bit! I’m always lookin to meet new fishermen, let me know if you ever hit the river maybe we could give er hell together sometime!