Waubay Lake is a lake in South Dakota, near Day County.
Waubay Lake is a lake in Day County, South Dakota with 16,943 acres, a recorded maximum depth of 31 feet and about 128,133.2 acre-feet of storage.
Waubay Lake is a large Prairie Coteau lake with open water, shallow flats and flooded shorelines shaped by years of changing water levels. Cisco give walleye and pike another open-water food source.
With only 31 feet at its deepest recorded spot, the lake often rewards careful work along weeds, flats and minor drops.
On the lake, search a wind-hit flat or submerged point with a crankbait, then move deeper if cisco or white bass show away from shore.
Fish listed for the lake include Black Bullhead, Bluegill, Cisco, Common Carp, Northern Pike, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, White Sucker, and Yellow Perch.
For smallmouth bass at Waubay Lake, try a tube, Ned rig or small crankbait along rock and clean drops; for rock bass at the lake, try a small jig, tube or worm around rock and wood.
For bluegill at Waubay Lake, try a worm, tiny jig or cricket near weeds and shallow cover; for yellow perch at the lake, try a small jig, minnow or worm close to bottom near weeds or a drop.
For walleye at Waubay Lake, try a jig and minnow, crawler rig or crankbait on points, flats and channel edges; for white bass at the lake, try a small spoon, jig or shad-colored crankbait where baitfish bunch up. For cisco at the lake, try a small spoon or jig worked at the depth of the school.
For northern pike at Waubay Lake, try a spoon, spinnerbait or jerkbait beside weeds and shallow cover.
For black bullhead at Waubay Lake, try a worm, cut bait or prepared bait on a light bottom rig; for common carp at the lake, try corn, dough bait or a worm on a simple bottom rig.
As Waubay 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 Waubay 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 Waubay Lake.
On the first pass at Waubay 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 Waubay 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 Waubay Lake: water color, wind direction, useful depth and the cover that produced. Those details from Waubay 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 Waubay Lake; add a heavier outfit only when the listed fish or thick cover calls for it.
Compare the windy weed edge with a protected bank on Waubay Lake, then stay with the side that has cleaner water and signs of bait.
A good first choice on Waubay Lake is a spoon or spinner; change its depth before replacing everything in the box.
No. The number for Waubay 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.
Source dates describe the evidence, not a live catch forecast. Check the managing authority before planning access or keeping fish.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.