Chinook Salmon Lake Oahe South Dakota

Chinook salmon are generally a coastal species of fish. They travel up stream, from the ocean, to spawn every year in the fall. After they spawn they die only procreating once in their life. In Lake Oahe these fish are trapped by the Oahe Dam located near Pierre, SD. The South Dakota Game Fish and Parks stocks the reservoir with Chinook Salmon every year and assists with their spawn at a station near West Whitlock Recreation Area. The Salmon ladder at the the spawning station is a great place to take your family. Watch the fish slowly make their way up the ladder where they get stuck in pools. Officials then harvest the fish and milk their eggs and sperm to ensure the following years stock will be healthy.  Unlike natural populations these fish only make it as far south as the face of the Oahe Dam in their lifetime. This is the best place catch Chinook salmon during most of the year. You need a boat and a down rigger to reach these fish in deep water.  But, every September the mature fish make their way north looking for their place of birth or spawning ground. You can catch these fish from shore or boat. Casting a spoon or Krocodile is what we had the most success with. Any lure resembling their favorite food Smelt works best. They are called the fish of a thousand casts, and sometimes they are snagged on accident. Chinook Salmon don't act normal during the spawn and are not aggressive eaters. Early in the spawning season the fish are still healthy and strong, however at the end of the season they start to die and look ragged. The cycle of life is interesting, and sometimes it makes you feel sad. I have had many great experiences fishing for Chinook Salmon most of them getting skunked. The cold fall weather can make for some interesting fishing conditions. However in the world of outdoor recreation every experience is memorable.