Lake Oahe fishing Outlook Good in '07

Oahe fishing outlook good
Lake's salmon make tasty meal

By Tony Dean
tdean@argusleader.com
Published: April 11, 2007

Despite record low water levels, the fishing forecast for Lake Oahe is generally good, especially for walleyes, Chinook salmon and, surprise, channel catfish.

In fact, the walleye situation is so good the hardest part of fishing Oahe, especially the lower end, will be catching - and keeping - a limit of fish. Like all other South Dakota waters, Oahe's limit is four fish daily with one over 20 inches. Catching four under 20 inches could be difficult in Oahe's lower reaches, essentially from the Cheyenne River mouth downstream to the dam. The farther north you travel, the smaller - and more numerous - the walleyes.

However, one of the big surprises could be fishing for Chinook salmon. It was so good a year ago, it surprised Missouri River fisheries biologist John Lott.

"Perhaps we stumbled on the right stocking numbers in an attempt to balance predator and prey in the big reservoir," he told me recently. Salmon fishing has been good for several weeks, though it slowed with the recent cold snap.

Most fish were taken on downriggers, dropping spoons and crankbaits to the 35-foot level, though anglers using flatlines also did well. Sideplaners which take the lures off to the sides of the boat should work well, as should lead core line.

Oahe's salmon are delicious on the table, rivaling those from Alaska. And here is my favorite salmon recipe:

Ingredients

One Chinook salmon filleted into two pieces. Then cut sections from the fillets about 5 to 7 inches in total length.

Marinade

2 heaping tablespoons, brown sugar

One quarter cup soy sauce

One quarter cup lemon juice

One small onion, sliced

Combine the above ingredients, stirring until the brown sugar is dissolved. Then marinate the salmon in this mixture for 45 minutes to an hour.

Heat your grill, then place the salmon fillets flesh side down. Cook for 6-7 minutes, turn them over, and cook another 6 to 7 minutes. Grind fresh pepper to taste.

Try salmon this way and you'll likely never do anything else.


The most underutilized fish in Lake Oahe is the channel catfish, which can be caught easily in almost any bay on the big lake. Go to the back end of a bay, either drop an anchor or pull the bow of your boat up on shore. Bait a hook with a nightcrawler and the odds are you won't be waiting long for action. While catfish rank number one among Iowans, few South Dakotans pay them much attention. That's too bad because they are eager biters, good fighters and great eating.

If you catch catfish, don't worry about skinning them. Instead, filet them just as you would a walleye.

Another good bonus fish in Lake Oahe is the white bass. Get into a school of them and then tell me you don't enjoy catching them. They are great fighters, and hit jigs and small crankbaits with gusto. o make them into first rate table fare, after filleting the fish, cut away any red meat, and then prepare them as you would any other fish.

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Tony Dean ... Outdoors, Inc. 1013 North Grand Pierre, SD 57501 (605) 224-5104 FAX (605) 224-2977 E-mail for Tony Dean