Weather a problem for early NTC anglers

By Dan Carlson
Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Mobridge, S.D. – Weather kept many anglers hoping to explore Lake Oahe in preparation for the 2008 Cabela’s National Team Championship Walleye Fishing Tournament on shore today.  Though the contest doesn’t begin until Friday morning, several teams had arrived early to test tactics and locate hot spots on the lake.  But after a night of severe thunderstorms with heavy rain, hail and howling winds, the day dawned with steady rain, fog and gusty easterly winds.  That sent many anglers to local restaurants and coffee shops hoping for a break in the weather.

The break came mid-morning as the winds eased a bit, but the rain continued.  Between dawn and 10:30 the easterly winds dropped from 15-30 mph with higher gusts, to 5-15 mph with steady light rain.  Soon after, boats and trailers were seen heading for Mobridge area boat ramps in greater numbers.  It was a chilly with both the air and water temperature at 55 degrees.

Around 2:00 pm the wind came around to blow from the north to northwest and increased once again.  The strong breeze churned up whitecaps once again, though the sun was peeking through the clouds by 4:00 pm.

Shawn Madison, a conservation officer in Mobridge with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, told me that not many fish were coming in off the lake today, and even fewer exceeded 20” in length.  “The bite has been really great up until today,” Madison explained, “But with the weather the way it is there just isn’t a whole lot going on right now.”  He said the few fish that were coming in seemed to be in 6-8 ft. of water or 14-18 ft.

Madison also told me that runoff from torrential rains across western South Dakota in recent weeks has pushed many of Lake Oahe’s tributaries over flood stage, and inflow into the lake in the last week has been impressive. Water levels at Mobridge had risen about 3 ft. since April as of a week ago, but the lake is up another 3 ft. since Friday.  This huge amount of inflow, combined with rising water has washed considerable debris and timber into the lake and caused fallen trees along the shore to float out into the water.  “That’s our main concern during this tournament,” Madison said, “And boaters will need to keep an eye out for obstacles in the water.
NTC participants continue to arrive in a steady stream.  An advance team of Cabela’s staff is on site setting up the weigh-in station, tournament headquarters and entertainment venue.  The weather forecast is for lighter winds, less rain, more sun and milder temperatures Thursday through Saturday.  Though fishing has been slow today with the cold front moving through, everyone expects the action to pick up again as the conditions improve.