← South Dakota fishing maps

Best white bass lakes in South Dakota

19 South Dakota waters hold white bass. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Hard-fighting schooling bass. Legendary spring river runs, then open-water surface blitzes chasing shad all summer.

1. Waubay Lake — 31 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
2. Thompson Lake — 26 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
3. Bitter Lake — 32 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
4. Whitewood Lake — 7 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
5. James River — 10 ft max · Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
6. Poinsett Lake — 22 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
7. Missouri River (Gavins Point) — 30 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Sauger
8. Red Lake — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
9. Kampeska Lake — 16 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
10. Pelican Lake — 8 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
11. Albert Lake — 13 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
12. Roy Lake — 21 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
13. Long Lake — 23 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
14. Goose Lake — 15 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
15. Henry Lake — 8 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
16. Enemy Swim Lake — 26 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
17. Grass Lake — 9 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
18. Kettle Lake — 18 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
19. Missouri River (Oahe Tailrace) — 35 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Sauger

When to fish white bass in South Dakota

• Spring 2–12 ft — The famous spawning run — fish stack in tributary rivers and below dams by the thousands.
• Summer 8–25 ft — Follow the shad — surface blitzes early and late, suspended schools over structure midday.
• Fall 6–25 ft — The best surface action of the year — gulls diving means white bass feeding.
• Winter 15–40 ft — Huge tight schools in deep basins and channel bends — vertical spoons.

Also in South Dakota: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best brown bullhead lakes

White Bass elsewhere: Minnesota · North Dakota · Iowa · Nebraska · Mississippi · Texas · Illinois · Kansas · Oklahoma · Missouri