Fishing

Mike Hamsa, a fishing guide from Yutan, Nebraska, holds a walleye he caught while fishing on Lewis and Clark Lake State Recreation Area in Knox County. (Eric Fowler/NEBRASKAland Magazine, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission)

Biologists search for clues on why fish population has declined in Lewis & Clark Lake after 2011 flood

BY: - July 11, 2023

LINCOLN, Nebraska — Nebraska and South Dakota fisheries biologists are studying why fish populations have declined in popular Lewis & Clark Lake since the flooding of 2011. Populations of emerald shiners — the primary forage fish in the Missouri River reservoir — haven’t recovered, and neither have walleye, despite more than 100 million fry and […]

Fish populations affected by severe winter kill, restoration efforts underway

BY: - May 11, 2023

Winter kills had a larger-than-average impact on the state’s fish populations in 2022-23, the state’s fisheries program manager told the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission last week. “It was, unfortunately, really prime conditions for winter kill across South Dakota,” said Jake Davis. “All regions experienced some winter kill to some level on some […]

A South Dakota hunter walks the tall grass with his dog.

Federal government awards $23 million for Prairie Pothole Region

BY: - March 21, 2023

The federal government plans to spend $23 million to restore and conserve grasslands and wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region, which is known as the “duck factory” of North America and is home to migratory birds, fish and other wildlife. The money is part of the Department of the Interior’s $120 million in funding from […]

Inside the state Capitol in Pierre. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Bill would require trespassing hunters and anglers to pay landowners

BY: - February 7, 2023

A bill that would require hunters and anglers to pay a landowner for trespassing on their property, in addition to fines already enforced by the state, passed the South Dakota House Ag and Natural Resources Committee on an 8-5 vote Tuesday at the Capitol in Pierre.  The bill, sponsored by Rep. Neal Pinnow, R-Lemmon, aims […]

Officials: Cause of Huron dam fish die-off unclear

BY: - January 24, 2023

A recently completed James River dam project was the site of a massive fish die-off in Huron last week, but state officials say the cause of the deaths is unclear. A state official says they are monitoring the situation on the ground and may restock the affected area of the river. The fish kill was […]

Game, Fish and Parks Secretary Kevin Robling addresses the Legislature's House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Jan. 17, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Joshua Haiar/SD Searchlight)

Public access programs enroll a record amount of private land

BY: - January 17, 2023

PIERRE — A record 1.48 million acres of private land are enrolled in public access programs around the state, according to the state’s Game, Fish and Parks secretary.  “We’ve never had that number that high before and it’s a compliment to the efforts from our teams up there working with producers, building relationships,” said Kevin […]

Left: The flow on Rapid Creek while a dam gate was closed at Pactola Reservoir. Right: The bypass pipe used to keep some water flowing at Pactola while the dam gate was closed. (Photos courtesy of David Hanna)

Sudden low water in Rapid Creek frustrates anglers, water users

BY: - December 9, 2022

Anglers and water users are criticizing a Black Hills dam’s government managers for a lack of communication about sudden low-water flows threatening downstream fish and domestic water supplies. Rapid Creek flows dropped from 40 to 12 cubic feet per second on Nov. 30. That imperiled brown trout spawning, which occurs during the fall, and created a […]

northern Wisconsin for walleye with a sunset as a backdrop. (Joanna Gilkeson/USFWS)

Fewer South Dakotans fishing, prompting worries of state revenue loss

BY: - November 21, 2022

Fewer South Dakotans are fishing, and that could spell trouble for the state Game, Fish and Parks department. A majority of the department’s Division of Wildlife revenue funding comes from the sales of hunting and fishing licenses. GF&P relies on that money to conserve the state’s wildlife and outdoor recreation. Over 10,800 fewer resident fishing […]

GFP Commission Chair Olson steps down, 8-person body now 6

BY: - November 11, 2022

Russell Olson, chair of the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Commission, will step down from the body that helps oversee the department. “As an avid outdoorsman, it has been a privilege to serve on the commission,” Olson said. “I value my time served and am excited for the direction the agency is heading.” Olson […]

Ray Carter (standing) and Milt Carter (kneeling), both of Watertown, hunt on the Big Sioux River basin similar to that which will be expanded by the new Big Sioux CREP program

GF&P looks to lease 25,000 acres along the Big Sioux watershed

BY: - November 4, 2022

South Dakota is home to just under 1.5 million acres of private land leased for public hunting across the state. That number may soon rise by 25,000 acres.  State Game, Fish and Parks hunting access and Farm Bill coordinator Mark Norton gave the status update on private land leased for public hunting in South Dakota […]

Game, Fish and Parks Commission members (top row, from left) Russell Olson, Stephanie Rissler, Robert Whitmyre, Julie Barling, (bottom row, from left) Jon Locken, Travis Bies and Charles Spring. The commission's eighth seat is currently vacant. (Photos courtesy of GF&P)

Public-land hunters and anglers push for one of their own to fill vacant commission seat

BY: - October 31, 2022

Some public-land hunters and anglers feel underrepresented by the current Game, Fish and Parks Commission, and they hope to see a board member from a grassroots group – like the South Dakota Wildlife Federation or Black Hills Sportsmen Club – appointed to a vacant seat.  The GF&P Commission consists of eight members appointed by the […]