Deerfield Lake is a reservoir in South Dakota, near Pennington County.
Stocking records show that the following fish or strains were stocked here. A historical stocking does not by itself prove that a self-sustaining population remains today.
Deerfield Lake is a reservoir in Pennington County, South Dakota with 423 acres, a recorded maximum depth of 93 feet and about 15,655 acre-feet of storage.
Deerfield is a high Black Hills reservoir with cold, clear water and a recorded depth of 93 feet. Brook, rainbow and lake trout make it a very different trip from the walleye lakes east of the hills.
Because the reservoir reaches 93 feet, check several depths instead of dropping straight to the deepest water.
On the reservoir, cast small spoons or flies around cool shallow water early, then follow trout deeper as summer warms the surface. Keep any walleye plan tied to the stocking record.
Fish listed for the reservoir include Brook Trout, Golden Shiner, Lake Trout, Rainbow Trout, Rock Bass, White Sucker, and Yellow Perch.
Stocking records also list Walleye for the reservoir. That release record for Deerfield Lake does not promise steady action on every trip.
For rock bass at Deerfield Lake, try a small jig, tube or worm around rock and wood.
For yellow perch at Deerfield Lake, try a small jig, minnow or worm close to bottom near weeds or a drop.
For stocked walleye at the reservoir, try a jig and minnow, crawler rig or crankbait on points, flats and channel edges.
For rainbow trout at the reservoir, try a small spoon, inline spinner, trout bait or worm on light line; for brook trout at the reservoir, try a small spoon, spinner, fly or worm in cool water. For lake trout at Deerfield Lake, try a jig, spoon or minnow-shaped lure near cold-water baitfish.
As Deerfield Lake warms in spring, check shallow cover and the first drop leading away from it. By summer, use shade, wind and baitfish to choose a depth on Deerfield Lake; the deepest hole is not an automatic answer. In fall, follow cooling water and moving bait toward points, green weeds and wind-hit banks at Deerfield Lake.
On the first pass at Deerfield Lake, use one moving bait to find active fish and one slower bait to work the best-looking cover, changing depth before replacing everything in the box.
Wind can help on Deerfield Lake by pushing food toward a bank or point, but hard wind can muddy shallow water; compare the windy side with one protected area before settling in.
Keep a short note after fishing Deerfield Lake: water color, wind direction, useful depth and the cover that produced. Those details from Deerfield Lake make the next trip easier to plan.
A medium spinning rod with 8- to 12-pound line covers jigs, small crankbaits and many bait rigs on Deerfield Lake; add a heavier outfit only when the listed fish or thick cover calls for it.
Compare a wind-hit point with a protected creek side on Deerfield Lake, and let clearer water or visible bait decide the next move.
A good first choice on Deerfield Lake is a simple lure or bait; change its depth before replacing everything in the box.
No. The number for Deerfield Lake only marks its deepest recorded spot; fish may be much shallower near food, cover or comfortable water.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.