Taking my 8 year old son to Webster for the weekend of Jan 12. Haven’t been there in a few years. Staying at the galley. I’m planning on trying out bitter lake. Anyone have any advice as far as what access I should use?..or anything to be aware of? Should i not fish bitter and try something else?…thanks
I have fished the Webster area a fair amount of times in the summer, But never in the winter. Check in at the Sportsmans bait. They do a excellent job of sharing info. I believe they even have a phone hotline that you can call and get recent reports. So many Great lakes in that area. The hot bite in the area almost seems to change daily. If its panfish you are after I’d say Bitter is a great choice. I’m not sure if Reitz lake is open for fishing or not. I believe it was one of the lakes in the area that was closed do to landowner issues. If it is open it is a great lake for trophy fish – Both Walleye and Crappie. There is also a decent population of jumbo perch in there. Good luck – Post a report of how you do out there.
Reetz lake is closed….can only access via landowner permission.
Reetz lake is closed….can only access via landowner permission.
Kind of what I thought. That’s a bummer. It will be a great Private lake for someone. There are some monster walleye in there. Fun Multi species lake for sure. I once caught a 29″ walleye, a 19″ Smallmouth, a 14″ Perch and a 15″ Crappie all from the same spot within a 1 Hr. time span. it was also fun to boat thru the Barn. The Fan turning in the upper window of the house was always cool to see.
Clint_hay – On a side note – How big was that Jumbo perch you are holding – Where did that one come from. It looks just like the Big one I caught out of Reetz
Bummer, its been a few years since I’ve been on Reetz. When did this happen?
Bummer, its been a few years since I’ve been on Reetz. When did this happen?
I’m not totally sure. I believe its been a few years now. I believe its a dispute between land owners on flooded property and the DNR. There were a fair # of accesses in that area all closed down due to the issue.
anyone know of a list or know of lakes in that area that have private access that you can pay to access to fish dont mind paying to access the lakes in this area.
Chris, spent a fair amount of time out in that area. Bitter and Waubay get the most pressure but are also safe to access because you can follow tracks a lot of times and there is plenty of fish in both to be had. For both lakes, find the deep contour where the break from shore hits the basin and work along it until you find fish. Find a point or inside corner and that will hold them often. Last year we caught crappies, perch, and walleyes along the break. I’ll be heading up there over new years… I’ll probably fish one of those two.
Fishing sloughs or smaller lakes is hit and miss. If you hit, it can be a jackpot… if you miss, its usually a total whiff. So it really comes down to your style and what you and your son like to do.
anyone know of a list or know of lakes in that area that have private access that you can pay to access to fish dont mind paying to access the lakes in this area.
SD GFP has a lot of info on their website regarding non-meandered waters, including an interactive map showing which waters are closed and a very thorough FAQ section where I learned the following:
Q:
What if a landowner is charging for access?
A:
Per statute, landowners cannot charge a fee for fishing nonmeandered waters that are marked as closed.
Hope this helps, good luck.
http://www.sportsmanscove.net/
Ask for Doug. Ask about Antelope Lake.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Clint_hay wrote:</div>
Reetz lake is closed….can only access via landowner permission.Kind of what I thought. That’s a bummer. It will be a great Private lake for someone. There are some monster <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleye in there. Fun Multi species lake for sure. I once caught a 29″ walleye, a 19″ Smallmouth, a 14″ <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>Perch and a 15″ Crappie all from the same spot within a 1 Hr. time span. it was also fun to boat thru the Barn. The Fan turning in the upper window of the house was always cool to see.
Well no it actually just happened this year….
There is a map on the gfp website showing water bodies that are permission access only..
anyone know of a list or know of lakes in that area that have private access that you can pay to access to fish dont mind paying to access the lakes in this area.
You’re going to find very little support from most in the fishing community to promote pay access fisheries here in SD. There are a few bodies of water out there, some that are land locked which require permission, some that are closed via some of the original court injunctions, but for good reason they are not widely advertised. There are so many good fisheries in SD to me personally there is zero need to pay for access to a private fishery.
In regards to the area in general; Bitter & waubay are getting the most pressure, but if you look around closely, you’ll see that it’s mostly non resident and non locals. Spread out, try some new water in a whole new area, and you might be surprised. Gone are the days when everybody is going to pile perch by the bucket full. We just don’t have the water levels to support those boom cycles right now. You’ll find that the legit jumbo perch bites are going to be hard to come by, and that the guys that are on them, aren’t saying anything to anybody via a public setting/social media. That doesnt mean you can’t find some great action, it just takes a lot of work, a lot of luck, and a willingness to strike out a lot. If you can’t find perch, don’t get frustrated. Target some eater walleyes and big pike in the afternoon. Throw some big baits on those rattle reels and try to ice a proud angler walleye after dark. If you really want to have some fun, get after the big smallmouth.
Currently, there is just under 4300 acres of water closed to unfettered public access, not including the injunction lakes closed via parks vs. cooper case.
Reetz is accessible via permission only during the hardwater season; there was an access agreement that allowed for open water access late this summer, and will be in place again next summer. The non meandered waters issues have somewhat settle down, and hopefully we won’t see much more closed water.
Fishthumper…..
Who would have a pic of “boating through a barn while the fan blows in the upstairs window”?
That would be neat to see.
The whole Reetz thing is a pretty messy situation. It was/is my favorite lake to fish. The SDGFP is paying the Reetz family $8k/year for the public to fish it…the public can only access it May thru September and have to obey by the trophy lake regulations. during the late fall/winter you can only access it via landowner permission…but those folks that fish it can keep fish and do not have to obey the trophy regulations. The public was against even re-opening the lake.
It’s a very slippery slope, and I believe set some precedence for other landowners and lakes. The similar ordeal happened with another lake this fall where the land owners wanted over half the lake closed to keep fisherman off so it could be used as a waterfowl refuge.
The state has ruled in the favor of the landowner on these situations….I think this thing is going to get worse and worse every year.
Fishthumper… it went 15-1/4″
Yes that fan is still there, and still spinning today…pretty neat to see that’s for sure.
Fishthumper… it went 15-1/4″
Yes that fan is still there, and still spinning today…pretty neat to see that’s for sure.
Is the pole shed / Barn still standing. It was about ready to fall down the last time I fished the lake. Its a Sad situation there for sure. I can see both sides of the issue. I don’t understand how it can be a public lake part of the year and a private lake the rest of the year. I had no problem with the trophy fishing Reg’s. It was just a fun place to fish and catch some monster fish. There are plenty of lakes in the area to catch and keep some fish to take home.
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