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Fishing Whitewood Lake: what the data says
5,815-acre lake near Kingsbury County. The lake tops out around 7 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Yellow Perch fishing at Whitewood Lake
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 2 to 7 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 7 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 7 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Crappie fishing at Whitewood Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 7 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 7 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 7 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 6 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Whitewood Lake
Spring bluegill on Whitewood Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 2 to 7 ft in summer and finish the year down in 2 to 7 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Northern Pike fishing at Whitewood Lake
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 7 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 7 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 7 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Walleye fishing at Whitewood Lake
Spring walleye on Whitewood Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 7 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 7 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 7 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 7 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Whitewood Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 1 to 7 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 7 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 7 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Whitewood Lake also holds brown bullhead (2 to 7 ft in summer), white bass (2 to 7 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Main-lake point: point, around 7 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 7 ft
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 6 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 3 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 1.6255186344849784 ft
Common questions
How deep is Whitewood Lake?
Whitewood Lake is about 7 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Whitewood Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, white bass, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, brown bullhead on Whitewood Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Whitewood Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Whitewood Lake?
For yellow perch, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Thompson Lake · Henry Lake · Sinai Lake · Albert Lake · Norden Lake · Poinsett Lake
See how Whitewood Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in South Dakota · best walleye lakes in South Dakota · best white bass lakes in South Dakota · best northern pike lakes in South Dakota
Browse all South Dakota fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.