See every public fishing venue in South Dakota on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
Pactola Reservoir is a public lake in Pennington County, South Dakota, managed by South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks. It is public water managed for fishing by the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks. Public access confirmed via marquee water.
Pactola Reservoir — the largest and most popular lake in the Black Hills, a Rapid City water-supply reservoir with stocked rainbow and brown trout plus smallmouth bass and yellow perch, set in ponderosa pine forest.
Pactola Reservoir covers about 841 acres in the Black Hills region. Anglers here mostly fish for rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, yellow perch; smallmouth bass are also on record. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Pactola Lake and Deer Creek.
Species from PiscaMaps water-type profiles, GFP trout designations and hand research.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in South Dakota. Snagging, gigging, bowfishing and setlines for carp, gar, buffalo and catfish are legal on most waters with their own seasons and gear rules; the four Missouri River reservoirs have specific paddlefish-snagging seasons.
Boats: The Missouri River reservoirs (Oahe, Sharpe, Francis Case, Lewis and Clark) have no horsepower limit and take full-size boats; many Black Hills and Glacial Lakes lakes are smaller with posted no-wake zones near shore. South Dakota requires boater education for operators born after 1 Jan 1993.
Bank & bivvy camping: Camp at the Corps recreation areas around the Missouri River reservoirs, GFP state recreation areas at the Black Hills and Glacial Lakes, and Custer/Black Hills National Forest campgrounds. A separate GFP park entrance licence applies at state recreation areas.
Tackle: Statewide walleye/sauger limit is usually 4 in combination (some Missouri River reservoirs carry a slot limit); smallmouth/largemouth bass 5; northern pike 4; trout (Black Hills) 5; catfish and panfish generous. Check the current GFP fishing handbook for this water.
Boat ramps: 4 mapped — Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Pactola South Boat Launch, Boat ramp.
Camping: 2 sites mapped nearby — Bear Gulch, Pactola Campground.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Anyone 16 or older needs a South Dakota fishing licence — the resident annual is about $28, the non-resident annual about $73, with non-resident 1-day (~$16) and 3-day licences also sold. No separate trout stamp is required — the standard licence covers Black Hills trout water. South Dakota residents 65 and older can buy a discounted senior combination licence, and anyone under 16 fishes free with a licensed adult. Buy from GFP at gfp.sd.gov. A South Dakota fishing licence covers this federal or state-owned reservoir.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
Open the South Dakota map Start your free trial