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Fishing at Willow Lake

South Dakota · Clark County · 717 acres
State
South Dakota
Country
USA
Licence
State-issued
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South Dakota Lake 717 acres Open access — public water 🌙 Night fishing

About Fishing at Willow Lake

Willow Lake is a public lake in Clark County, South Dakota, managed by Public boat ramp (GFP). It is public water managed for fishing by the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks. Public access confirmed via GFP.

A natural lake in South Dakota's Glacial Lakes region (Kampeska, Poinsett, Madison, Herman, Cochrane, Enemy Swim, Waubay, Bitter, Pickerel, Big Stone, Traverse, Thompson, Byron) — walleye and yellow perch headline, plus northern pike, bluegill, crappie, white bass and carp. Shallow, fertile, glacially-formed lakes across the northeast corner of the state, many with a state park or GFP recreation area on the shore.

Willow Lake covers about 717 acres in the Glacial Lakes & Northeast region. Anglers here mostly fish for walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, bluegill; black crappie, white bass, smallmouth bass, common carp are also on record. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Minnechaduza Creek and Eagle Creek.

County
Clark
Region
Glacial Lakes & Northeast
Surface area
717 acres
Public access
Open access — public water
Managed by
Public boat ramp (GFP)
Night fishing
Permitted
Boats
Varies by water

Fish Species at Willow Lake

Species from PiscaMaps water-type profiles, GFP trout designations and hand research.

Access & Rules at Willow Lake

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.

Fishing Licence for Willow Lake

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.

South Dakota

South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Resident annual: ~$28 Non-resident annual: ~$73 Non-resident 1-day and 3-day licences are sold · residents 65+ can buy a discounted senior combination licence · anyone under 16 fishes free with a licensed adult Buy: gfp.sd.gov

Trout water & non-meandered lakes

No separate trout stamp is required — the standard South Dakota licence covers the Black Hills trout streams and lakes (Rapid Creek, Spearfish Creek, Pactola, Sheridan, Deerfield) alongside every warmwater fishery South Dakota treats a 'meandered' waterway (surveyed navigable at statehood — the Missouri, James, Big Sioux and most major lakes) as fully public; many prairie lakes are legally 'non-meandered' with a privately-owned bed, but a 2017 state law keeps them open via marked GFP public access points

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Frequently Asked Questions

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