Best Fishing Times in South Dakota This Week

Q: What are the solunar times in South Dakota this week?

The table above shows the next 7 days for Pierre, Chamberlain and Webster, with each day's major and minor periods, sunrise and sunset, and a rating from Fair to Best. For your own spot, enter a ZIP on the best fishing times page.

Q: Do I need a fishing license in South Dakota?

The South Dakota fishing license page has what a resident and nonresident license costs and where to buy one, read from the state's own regulations.

Q: When does ice fishing start in South Dakota?

The South Dakota ice fishing page tracks when lakes freeze and what the agency says about safe ice. The solunar windows here work the same through the ice; winter tips favor mid to late afternoon.

Q: Does the moon really affect fishing?

The solunar windows are the old angler's rule, and the studies are mixed. Dawn and dusk are the reliable part: fish feed in low light. So each day here is rated on the moon phase and on whether a moon window meets sunrise or sunset, with the weather as a smaller nudge.

Q: Is today a good day to fish in South Dakota?

Each town's card above rates today Fair, Good, Great or Best. The rating adds up the moon phase, whether a moon window meets sunrise or sunset, and the National Weather Service forecast for that town: pressure, fronts, wind, rain, cloud and thunder. A Fair day still has its dawn and dusk.

Near Pierre, Chamberlain and Webster: today on a 24 hour timeline and the next seven days rated Fair to Best.

Working out the moon and the sun for Pierre, SD, and reading the forecast.

Fishing somewhere else? Enter any ZIP for your own spot

Photo: “Fall fishing on the Madison River at sunrise”, Jacob W. Frank, Yellowstone National Park (NPS), Public domain

South Dakota at a glance

Solunar windows plus the agency calendar

Towns rated this week

Pierre, Chamberlain and Webster

Solunar windows a day

two majors, two minors, set against sunrise and sunset

Dated entries from the agency

South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks

Fish the calendar names

walleye and multiple species

The fishing year

When fish bite in South Dakota

South Dakota's fishing year turns on walleye, with good fishing shortly after ice out, the highest harvest in June and July, and a fall feed as water cools before winter.

Each entry below is from South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks or its published guides, quoted word for word and linked. Line the season up with the week above: a run in its prime and a Great day with a window at first light is the morning to take off.

After ice out
Walleye
Early season walleye fishing is often good shortly after ice out, as water warms and fish feed ahead of spawning.
“Early season walleye fishing can be really good. The good fishing often experienced shortly after ice out is likely a result of a reduced abundance of appropriate sized food, walleye metabolism is starting to increase as water temperatures begin to rise or the fish are making a last effort to increase their condition prior to spawning.”
Why No Spring Walleye Closure, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, read October 9, 2026
June and July
Walleye
Angler surveys on South Dakota waters show the highest walleye harvest typically comes in June and July.
“Angler use and harvest surveys completed on South Dakota waters have consistently shown that the highest walleye harvest typically occurs during June and July.”
Why No Spring Walleye Closure, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, read October 9, 2026
Fall
Multiple species
Fall is one of the best times to fish, especially from shore, as water cools, summer forage runs low and fish feed heavily before winter.
“Fall is one of the best times to go fishing, especially if you are a shore angler like I was. The water temperatures are cooling, the abundance of forage from summer is starting to run low and the fish feel the urge to “put on the feed bags” before a long winter.”
Fall is the Best Time to Fish, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, read October 9, 2026

Before you go

License, stocking and ice in South Dakota

South Dakota fishing licenseWhat a license costs and where to buy one.South Dakota trout stockingWhere and when the state stocks trout.South Dakota ice fishingWhen the lakes freeze and the ice is safe.South Dakota daylightSunrise, sunset and day length all year.

How the days are rated

Reading the South Dakota timeline

Each day has two major solunar periods of about two hours, centered on the moon overhead and underfoot, and two minor periods of about an hour at moonrise and moonset. A window within an hour of sunrise or sunset is marked in gold. The rating adds the moon phase, the gold windows and a capped nudge from the National Weather Service forecast for each town. Every factor and its points.

Dawn and dusk are the reliable part; the moon windows are the old angler’s rule.

An angler in a cap seen from behind, holding a rod over a calm lake at dusk, with a bobber on pink water and a pine shore beyond — Walleye fishing on a northern Wisconsin lake at dusk. The Wisconsin DNR says that in clear waters walleye stay deep in the day and move into the shallows at night, which is why the hour around sunset is shaded on every timeline here. “Fishing in northern Wisconsin for walleye”, Joanna Gilkeson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region, Public domain

South Dakota fishing times questions

When is the best time to fish in South Dakota?

What are the solunar times in South Dakota this week?

When do walleye bite in South Dakota?

Do I need a fishing license in South Dakota?

When does ice fishing start in South Dakota?

Does the moon really affect fishing?

Is today a good day to fish in South Dakota?

South Dakota at a glance

When fish bite in South Dakota

Walleye

Walleye

Multiple species

License, stocking and ice in South Dakota

Reading the South Dakota timeline

South Dakota fishing times questions

Best fishing times in other states