Lewis and Clark Lake fishing
Lewis and Clark Lake fishing lists Channel Catfish on a reservoir, outside the stocking reports. Species guides list dusk and night as the active times.
- Last stocked
- Not in these reports
- Plants on record
- 0
- Species recorded
- 1
Fish at Lewis and Clark Lake
Channel Catfish Confirmed present Best: dusk, night
Best: dusk, night
A regional fishing report calls the reservoir's channel catfish fishing excellent, with fish typically running 16-24 inches. (midwestliprippers.com, accessed September 25, 2026)
How to fish it
Spring pre-spawn: live bait rigs with cut bait near current breaks. Spawn: live bait rigs with fresh cut bait in protected coves. Summer (72-85F): live bait rigs with cut bait or live bluegill in deep river channels. Fall: similar patterns in deeper water. (omniafishing.com, accessed September 25, 2026)
Access and facts
- Water type
- reservoir
- Nearest town
- Yankton, SD
Other places to fish at Lewis and Clark Lake
About Lewis and Clark Lake
Recent gillnet surveys found walleye and sauger at 6-7% of the catch on Lewis and Clark Lake, mostly 15-20 inches. Age-0 walleye recruitment averaged about 100 fish per hour from 2023-2025. That is more than double the old average, with a healthy condition factor. The 69-mile Missouri River lake runs between Fort Randall Dam at Pickstown and Gavins Point Dam near Yankton on the South Dakota-Nebraska border. The upper stretch is more river-like. The lower stretch is deeper. A 12-14 inch smallmouth bass group and excellent channel catfish fishing round out the draw.
