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Future Spearfishing Report:
September and October are sure to be awesome months to get out spearfishing. The Deep Water Horizon (our dive boat) will operate until the last weekend in October. If you are interested in getting a trophy Walleye, Smallmouth, Northerpike, or Largemouth Buffalo, Then this is when you need to get out on the water. The baitfish will surely begin moving up shallow bringing these big fish with them. We will be running specials on our charter service. If you really want a unique experience then lets set it up to go spearfishing in the morning with an afternoon pheasant hunt! We are absolutely looking forward to September and October shaping up to be the best months of the year. With the new dive boat you will be able to get out of the weather and enjoy your surface intervals no matter the weather.
Spearfishing Report: last updated Aug, 19th 2010
The summer has shaped up to be one the best that we have ever seen. Spearfishermen have found walleye at depths from 4ft to 45ft. The most common depths have been between 17ft and 25ft. The points and areas near shore have had visibility from a couple feet to 25ft of visibility!
Our spearfishing charters have been operating three to four days a week with great success. This has been the best year we have experienced, we have not had visibility under 6ft, and most of the time it has been 8 to 15ft. Our group sizes have ranged from 10 to 18 spearfishermen. The walleye and smallmouth have been more cooperative than any other year! Limits of walleye have been more common than not.
The walleye all appear to be in great shape, most have stomachs full of smelt and appear to be resting during the day in shallow waters in or near trees. The Spring Creek area has allot of walleye that are 20 to 20 1/4 inch long. So Spearfishermen need to be very careful when shooting these fish. You are only allowed one walleye 20 inches or greater. There are so many walleye that you can be selective in what you choose to harvest. Smaller walleye have also been plentiful.
The reports from Spring Creek to the Oahe dam have been good. There are allot of fish but most of these fish are over 20 inches long which poses a real problem for spearfishermen. We are not recommending spearfishing on the Lower end of Lake Oahe. As it is very difficult to shoot a full limit of Walleye while following the slot limit.
Get out diving have fun, be safe, and stay legal! We all love this great sport and will do nothing to jeopardize this privilege we all enjoy.
How we operate spearfishing:
We begin the day with you with a morning briefing where we cover aspect of
the boat, weather and water conditions. On the "dive site" the master
diver will cover the depths and topography with structure you should
encounter during the dives. Normal depths are 15 foot to 40 feet deep. The
boat will deploy a camera in order to establish whether there is
visibility or not for the dive. Most spearfisherman will be diving "solo"
but "buddy diving is required until your skill level is high enough for
solo diving. Typically we do not "back dive" a location although
occasionally the walleye are plentiful and curious enough that we can put
groups of divers on the same spot over and over producing fish!
Normally we "live boat" meaning we do not drop anchor, instead when we
reach a dive site we will drop each diver or pair for a predetermined
amount of time. We require each diver to follow the state law wich simply
put says, "you must be within 75 feet of your recreational dive flag".
Our primary target fish is the "Walleye" They are without doubt the best
eating freshwater fish. Walleye tend to be elusive and require a skill set
for for scuba divers and free divers that can only be acquired with
experience and guidance. There are several other species of fish to
spearfish but the small mouth bass is a good eating fish, especially when
they are from the clear waters of "Oahe". Experience spearfisherman
treasure the opportunity to tackle one of our "monster" large mouth
buffalo carp. They can and do top more than 50 pounds! And of course
walleye regularly are taken over 8 pounds. Your chance for a trophy
Walleye or Norther Pike is the highest later in the season during
September or October when the bait fish have moved from the depths to
shallow water and the large game fish follow them.
If you have a large group of 8 to 14, our 34 foot long 12 wide fiberglass
dive boat will enhance your diving adventure. This boat is highly
specialized for diving and spearfishing, and can carry more than 40 tanks.
Smaller groups of 2 to 6 enjoy our 20’ center counsel boat, equipped with
a 90 hp four stroke engine which will get you to the most untouched
areas in a flash. There is a minimum person requirement of two people.
Group rates are available for groups of eight or more.
Please call Steamboat’s or email
caleb@steamboatgf.com to inquire for group rates and availability.
Steamboat’s is your exclusive contact when diving in central South Dakota.
Steamboat’s Skin & Scuba is here to serve you, our friendly staff and
knowledgeable guides enjoy helping others enjoy our area of the world. We
are extremely lucky with the resources we have and we want to share them
with you!
While spearfishing is our primary focus, don’t think we don’t know how to
have fun without a speargun. We offer a kick ass drift dive, that you will
want to do over and over again. Also, we run charters to the dive park,
and we will help you get those underwater pictures you’ve been looking
for.
A regular fishing license is required for spearfishing in South Dakota. For
all rules and regulations pertaining to fishing in South Dakota see the
South Dakota Fishing Handbook .
Spearfishing rates are based on the dates between June 15 and September
15, a minimum of two people, and allow up to two tanks per person. Rates do not include
gear rental. All dive and spearing equipment is available for rental if
needed.
Guided Spearfishing Rates
| 2 tanks full day | $85.00+ tax |
Includes two tanks-boat-captain-divemaster-fish cleaning and packaging-lunch-transportation to and from our store.
The guides at Steamboat are constantly finding new points and sunken islands to hunt walleye. As the reservoir’s water level fluctuates and winds change, so do the hot spots. We are known well throughout the community as a top notch charter service, which leads to our customers returning year after year.
2010 Schedulebr /> MINIMUM 6 DIVERS
| Monday |
Off |
|
| Tuesday |
Off |
|
| Wednesday |
10:00 am |
|
| Thursday |
Off |
|
| Friday |
10:00 am |
|
| Saturday-Sunday |
8:00 am |
1:00 pm |
| Night Dive |
30 Before Sunset |
|