The Magnificent Bitter Lake

On the second day, my wife and I finished up catching our limit of walleye and a couple of northern on Lynn Lake.  Back at the motel by 10 AM, we cleaned the fish and then took a nap.   How much better can it get than that.  The plan was to fish Bitter provided we had some breeze to ripple the water.  Otherwise we would go to Aberdeen, see a movie, and Pam could do some shopping.  The other part of the plan, and probably most important, was to stop at the Purple Cow Ice Cream Parlor on the edge of the town of Waubay.  Here is the best ice cream in the world and it is a tradition to stop and consume the finest ice cream we have ever eaten. 

Please note that there are 33 flavors.  Pam and I have tried them all at one time or another.  Just a few miles off of I 29 and it is well worth the stop. You cannot miss the building.

The state of South Dakota has put in a new access on the west side of the lake.  This is the best place to fish as there are a series of islands that drop off into deeper water.  Also, Bitter is known for submerged rocks, and South Dakota does not mark their reefs.  You have to check with Sportsmans Cove in Webster as they can give you the road to take south on the west side of the town of Waubay.  I should point out that this is a gravel road and really dusty.  We kept the cover on, thank goodness, but the dust worked its way into every crevice it could.  The ramp is good and there is plenty of parking.

Dock at the west access to Bitter



The wind came up and we hit it really hard.  To the north of the access is some standing timber.  We were graphing fish in the fifteen foot range.  It did not take long and Wham! Pam nailed a really nice fish.  Once we got it in the boat and a picture taken, I put the kicker in idle and just let the wind drift us back over the general area.

Really nice walleye

Don't forget the Flicker Shad to really pound the walleyes. 


Berkley Flicker Shad Crankbaits


Click on the link or the pic and buy from Bass Pro.

We started getting hits on a regular basis and I thought, "Here it goes! We are really going to boat a lot of really nice fish."  I used to fish with a man from northern Minnesota and he always said, "When you are catching small fish, that is all you will take in an area."  Then I had the good fortune of nailing a nice fish.

These are really healthy fish.



Then the wind went down, and the lake went dead calm.  With a no wind condition and sitting on the water with bright sunlight, it can get really hot.  We both decided we had enough.  First there was light wind, then really windy as some storms passed to the south of us, then calm.  We had done really well for the day.

Mustang Survival M.I.T. 100 Auto Inflatable Life Jacket

On big waters we both put on life jackets when the wind really starts to pound.  Automatic inflate is the way to go.  Click on the link or the pic to buy from Bass Pro.

 

 Good hunting, good fishing and good luck.  Hank

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