May 07, 2010

 

Fishing Reports

For more videos from SD Glacial Lakes & Prairies, visit our YouTube page. UPDATED: May 4th, 2010 Regional Fishing Update:  Water temperatures are starting to warm up across our region.   Regular reports will begin as shoreline fishing and open water season heats up.  We are starting to receive more fishing report updates.  Those are below. Area forecast:  Wind continues to be in our forecast, along with cooler tempatures.  Overnight lows in the low to mid 30s through the weekend.  High of 60 degrees on Tueday, and in the upper 40s/low 50s the remainder of this week.  Rain is also in the forecast for Thursday and Friday, as well as Sunday and Monday.  Hopefully Mother Nature will give us beautiful spring weather next week:)

Windy Hill South Dakota goose report
August 28, 2009

 ABERDEEN — More reports of coyotes are coming from northeast South Dakota this year, which is also among the worst years for crop damage by Canada geese in lake-studded Day County and other East River counties.

 

That’s according to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks — and farmers.

 

“Geese are eating our soybeans and wipe out the whole area where they feed,” Ethan Gaikowski, 16, of rural Waubay, said Wednesday. He is the son of farmer Bernard Gaikowski.

 

Geese plunder their farm every year, and this year it’s bad, Ethan said.

 

Kelly Cape of the federal Farm Service Agency for Day County said higher water levels this year probably explain why more geese are in the area. He, too, is hearing reports of more crop damage by geese. The federal farm program does not reimburse farmers for these losses, Cape said.

 

The state tries to keep geese numbers down but can’t always do what it would like, said Art Smith, head of wildlife damage management at Game, Fish and Parks. Budget restraints are one factor.

 

Also, the department often requests additional days of goose hunting and higher limits for the number of geese that hunters can take. That’s a federal process, Smith said, and these requests are not always met — including one for this year.

 

Actual killing of the geese or any other wildlife species that eats crops or livestock is a last resort for the state, and not something it likes to do, Smith said. In Day County, his staff has destroyed nests, removed adult geese and installed fences around fields where damage was most severe in Day County, he said.

 

His office must be sensitive to the needs of hunters and landowners, he said. “It’s tough to find a middle ground sometimes.”

 

The East River goose population is about twice the 60,000 that Game, Fish and Parks would like to maintain. The early goose hunting season starts Sept. 5.

 

For the state as a whole, the favorable news for livestock farmers is that more fox are around. That’s a reliable indicator that coyote numbers are down, Smith said. The two species do not like to share the same habitat.

 

Coyotes prey on farm animals, particularly lambs and newborn calves, he said, while fox are less likely to go after domesticated animals, he said.

 

“Many more fox are being seen in the state,” Smith said.

 

Even so, “Coyote numbers are coming back up in the northeast part of the state, and we do still have livestock producers affected by coyotes, East River and West River.”

 

It’s difficult to take a census of coyotes or fox, he said.

 

In the Aberdeen area, Campbell County historically has had more coyote problems than other counties. This year, however, Campbell County Extension educator David Vander Vleet said he is hearing about the same number of complaints as usual.

 

Pheasants, blackbirds and deer also can cause problems for South Dakota farmers, Smith said. Pheasants eat corn seeds before they emerge from the ground. Blackbirds eat sunflower seeds before they are harvested, and deer eat crops.

 

Controlling wildlife numbers is a touchy political issue nationwide. Some environmental groups call for an end to the use of taxpayer dollars to kill wild animals. Livestock associations counter by pointing to the millions of dollars their members lose annually as a result of predation.

 

Gunning coyotes from airplanes is a federal effort, Smith said.

 

The state works from the ground through trapping, shooting and snaring. His department has 23 such grounds people, who respond to complaints from livestock and crop producers, as do conservation officers.

 

The state’s wildlife management measures related to livestock deaths are financed by a combination of federal and state dollars.

 

Crop depredation relief measures in the state are funded by a surcharge on most big-game hunting licenses, Smith said.

 

 

 

 

Windy Hill Outfitters and Lodge fishing reports
July 29, 2009

 

Fishing Reports

UPDATED: July 27, 2009 Regional Fishing Update:  A fair to good bite for walleyes, crappies and bluegills overall, and a good bite for bass on area lakes.   Area forecast:  Daily highs forecasted for the low to mid 80s the rest of this week.  40% chance of rain today, and 20% chance of rain on Friday. At least partly to mostly sunny skies much of the mid-week. Book your summer fishing trips now!  Check out our resort and bait shop links below for more information. Tell them Glacial Lakes sent you! Lake Thompson, Lake Preston & Whitewood Lake area:  (Courtesy of Bo at Bait Box: 1-605-847-4590) A fair to good bite for walleyes and crappies, along with a few northerns and perch being caught.   Bitter Lake, Blue Dog Lake & Waubay Lake area: (Courtesy of Circle Pines Motel 1-877-324-5161)   Waubay, BLue Dog , Antelope and Bitter all producing nice size fish... Fishin should be very good for the next month or so...thats about it some really nice fish went thru the fish cleaning house all weekend!! good weekend for the free fishin!!! looking forward to Memorial day  until next week good fishin'!!!! Waubay Lakes, Horseshoe Lake, Antelope Lake, & Pickerel Lake areas:  (Courtesy of Doug at Sportsman's Cove, 1-605-345-2468) (Sportsman's Cabin available for up to 7 people. For rental information call 605-380-7590.)   A really good bite for walleyes continued this past week.  Fishermen also catching some northerns and perch.  (Courtesy of Penny & Roy atGrenville Sport Mart, 1-605-486-4641  We have house rentals available>  Fishermen experiencing a real good bite for walleyes in the past week. Enemy Swim, & Waubay Lake area:  (Courtesy of Ray atBur-Oak Lodge 1-605-947-4445) (Bur-Oak Lodge is for sale.  Contact Jackie Schaefer, Coldwell Banker Roby Agency Realtors, Watertown, SD. (605)-886-0000.  Fishermen experiencing a fair bite for walleye, with the bluegill and crappie bite fair to good also. Lake Kampeska, Grass Lake & Dry Lake area:  (Courtesy of Doris at Kampeska Lodge 1-605-882-1313)   Fishermen catching a few walleyes.   Big Stone Lake area:  (Courtesy of Donna at Schmidt's Landing 1-800-610-4928)  gregorys@schmidtslanding.com Fishing remains slow on Big Stone Lake. Typical dog days of summer have hit the area with warmer water and lazier fish. We continue to see some white bass, largemouth bass, an occassional northern, catfish, bullhead (lots of variety) and even a stray walleye here and there, but unfortunately no significant numbers of anything are being caught. Sorry, perch fishermen, nothing to report yet! Fishing techniques have not changed. Most anglers are pulling bottom bouncers with spinners tipped with a crawler or leech. The dock fishermen like to use crappie rigs or slip bobbers tipped with a minnow. Of course a little wind on the lake improves a fisherman's odds when trolling but on the calm days we see a lot of anchoring and bobber fishing. A very good time of the year to enjoy the water recreational opportunities Big Stone Lake has to offer. And, if you are an advid fishermen, throw  out your line as the wife views the shoreline, you just may be able to set the hook on one of those elusive walleye! Donna Schmidts Landing 800-610-4928 Please make a note of our new e-mail address: gregorys@schmidtslanding.com Schmidt's Landing at Big Stone Lake 1 (800) 610-4928 (Courtesy of Chris at Silent Falls Resort 1-605-862-8205) no report available. Lake Traverse area:  Roy Lake area:  (Courtesy of Jan at Roy Lake Resort 1-605-448-5498) Some good fishing to be had on area lakes now that spring is arriving.  Fishermen catching some nice walleyes and northerns, and bass. Now is the time to plan next springs' fishing vacation.  Book your cabins now.   Picture courtesy of Jan Thames, Roy Lake Resort

 

A true vacation for the whole family
July 09, 2009

                                                                                                               If you're interested in a change, something that is truly refreshing, relaxing and rejuvenating, a vacation in the mid-west can provide that change with its slower pace.  The typical summertime family vacation has become very costly and a sensory overload, with the long lines, $5  1 minute rides and over-priced souvenirs.  Wall-to-wall people and the hour that it takes to win a prize for your kids that's worth 5 cents after you've spent $10...that's NOT "ideal" vacation time with the family.  By the time the vacation is over, the adults need a vacation to recuperate from the vacation!

 

 

June 05, 2009

                                         Spring Walleye fishing at Windy Hill lodge got off to a slow start due to the above average rain fall this spring. After the rain and cool temps blew thru the walleye started to turn on. Having to us all different methods to find and get the walleye to bite, it finally turned on!!  All we needed was a little sun and the winds to die down and those shinny eyed creatures wouldn't stay off my hook and out of the frying pan

June 05, 2009

2009 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Season Outlook Forecast Report - Windy Hill Outfitters and Lodge

2009 south dakota pheasant hunting outlook forecast report - spring Early Warm-Up May be Blessing for Wildlife in South Dakota I've been talking with landowners across the state and also tracking the snow line. In January, heavy snows hit North Dakota and the north eastern part of South Dakota. Much of North Dakota is under heavy snow amount (up to 60 inches). NE Sd had snow covers up to 30 inches. As of early Feb I got a report from a landowner in Aberdeen SD and he was reporting about a foot of snow in fields and birds were having a hard time getting at food. He was feeding pheasants out in his cow pasture as were other farmers in the area. According to National Weather Snow Maps, however, recent warmspells have sent the snowline marching north rapidly. Over half of the state of South Dakota now has no snow cover at all which means easy access to food for wildlife. The northeast part of the state has had significant snowmelt and I expect that wildlife now has access to better food sources in areas that the sun hits harder and melts the snow better. Temps across the state have been close to 30 degrees warmer in Feb than in Jan. Cross your fingers for an early and warmer spring.

 

Hunt and fish with your kids now !!!!
June 05, 2009

Kids hunt and fish for free at Windy Hill Outfitters and Lodge. The average age of todays hunters is 43 which show we are lossing the battle of raising our kids to understand, respect and appreciate the outdoors to TV, computers, video and hopefully not alcohol and drugs. I always like the saying " take your kids hunting and fishing now or hunt and fish for your kids later". I'm not saying that kids aren't going to wonder a little bit when they become teenagers if you don't take them hunting and fishing now. What I'm saying is the outdoors can help your kids understand the responsablity that goes with their actions and maybe learn to appreciate the little thing in life that we all can tend to overlook. The bonding of family and friends and the ability to communicate with kids on important issues is a whole lot easier when your not competing with TV, computers and video games. Another way to look at it is as we get older somebody is going to have to take us hunting and fishing. Take your kids hunting and fishing !!!!