Stockade Lake is a reservoir in South Dakota, near Custer County.
Stockade Lake is a reservoir in Custer County, South Dakota with 130 acres, a recorded maximum depth of 46.2 feet and about 1,820 acre-feet of storage.
Stockade is the largest lake in Custer State Park. It has coves, standing cover, rocky banks and deeper water than its small size suggests, giving bass, pike, walleye and panfish several choices.
Because the reservoir reaches 46.2 feet, check several depths instead of dropping straight to the deepest water.
On the reservoir, fish wood and weeds for largemouth, crappie and bluegill, then move to rocky points for smallmouth or a deeper walleye pass.
Fish listed for the reservoir include Black Bullhead, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Sucker, and Yellow Perch.
For largemouth bass at Stockade Lake, try a plastic worm, jig or spinnerbait around weeds, wood and quiet points; for smallmouth bass at the reservoir, try a tube, Ned rig or small crankbait along rock and clean drops.
For black crappie at Stockade Lake, try a small jig or minnow beside brush, weed edges and drop-offs; for bluegill at the reservoir, try a worm, tiny jig or cricket near weeds and shallow cover. For yellow perch at Stockade Lake, try a small jig, minnow or worm close to bottom near weeds or a drop.
For walleye at Stockade Lake, try a jig and minnow, crawler rig or crankbait on points, flats and channel edges.
For northern pike at Stockade Lake, try a spoon, spinnerbait or jerkbait beside weeds and shallow cover.
For black bullhead at Stockade Lake, try a worm, cut bait or prepared bait on a light bottom rig.
As Stockade 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 Stockade 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 Stockade Lake.
On the first pass at Stockade 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 Stockade 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 Stockade Lake: water color, wind direction, useful depth and the cover that produced. Those details from Stockade 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 Stockade 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 Stockade Lake, and let clearer water or visible bait decide the next move.
A good first choice on Stockade Lake is a small jig or minnow; change its depth before replacing everything in the box.
No. The number for Stockade 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.