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Best yellow perch lakes in South Dakota

78 South Dakota waters hold yellow perch, 1 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. 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. The premier eating panfish. Roams soft-bottom flats and weed edges in schools — a daytime biter.

1. Belle Fourche Reservoir — 61 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, Channel Catfish, Yellow Perch
2. Waubay Lake — 31 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
3. Thompson Lake — 26 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
4. Bitter Lake — 32 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
5. Whitewood Lake — 7 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
6. Poinsett Lake — 22 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
7. Red Lake — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
8. Kampeska Lake — 16 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
9. Richmond Lake — 23 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
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. Opitz Lake — 23 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
15. Goose Lake — 15 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
16. Sinai Lake — 33 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
17. Mitchell Lake — 29 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
18. Swan Lake — 17 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
19. Dry Lake — 14 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
20. Henry Lake — 8 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
21. Enemy Swim Lake — 26 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
22. Grass Lake — 9 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
23. Pocasse Lake — 17 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
24. Byron Lake — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
25. Campbell Lake — 8 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie

…plus 53 more South Dakota waters holding yellow perch.

When to fish yellow perch in South Dakota

• Spring 3–12 ft — Spawning runs to shallow weeds and gravel — find the school, stay on it.
• Summer 10–30 ft — Schools slide deeper to soft-bottom flats and deep weedlines.
• Fall 12–35 ft — Jumbo perch pod up on deep basin flats feeding on invertebrates.
• Winter 15–35 ft — A premier ice-fishing target — deep mud flats, small jigs.

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

Yellow Perch elsewhere: Ontario · Minnesota · Québec · Michigan · New Hampshire · Montana · Wyoming · Massachusetts · Washington · North Dakota · Iowa · Indiana · Connecticut · Ohio · Utah · Colorado · New York · Wisconsin · Delaware · Manitoba · Alberta · Vermont · Rhode Island · New Jersey