Headin to Chamberlin next week. Wonderin what the fishin has been like and what to expect. If any one has any ideas or insight i'd appreciate it. I also need a 9.9 long shaft 4 stroke

Caught our limit near American Creek but hard to tell where they'll be next week. Also many people were fishing south of the Interstate bridge on Sunday but I saw a lot of smaller fish floating around dead due to the extreme depths they were caught at and you can't keep anything under 15".

Good luck at let me know how you do
SD/Will

I heard that too. My report was that too many people are fishing the dredge hole and pulling those fish up from the depths. What a waste.

is this area considered lake oahe? would like to come out and fish lake oahe in june and i am under the impression that oahe runs from pierre north to bismark. is this incorrect? i've been to the town of mobridge and like that area. and i need to know at any given area of the lake be it chamberlin or mobridge,what depth could i expect to find hungry fish and what methods work well for that time of year?

Jack Chamberlain is on Lake Francis Case. Grab your map on check out the river system. It's a good fishing area.

Jack, Chamberlain is on Lake Francis Case, north of that is Lake Sharpe and then Lake Oahe.

Jack It sounds like you need a guide, I think you would enjoy the Chamberlain area. Call me at 1-800-734-5168, and I will show you around. It is in your best interest to hire a guide when first fishing new waters. Good Luck!!
Ask for Rocky.

Jack you don,t need a guide to fish Chamberlain,just launch your boat,and go to the boats already fishing,there not hard to find.Throw jigs up into the rocks toward evening,or jig vertical in the dredge hole south of I-90,OR head up river toward FT Thompson,about 8 miles and fish where Crow creek enters from the north.

I'll be there next thurs to sunday. Have you guys gotten all the rain we have in MN? Or are the water levels still pretty low from last fall? And I agree with you, it would be a good idea to spend a little money for a guide the first time out there. Especially if the water level is low, a greenhorn could loose a lower unit by straying off the main channel.
Good Luck! Hope to hear from you.

Been fishing below Ft. Thompson on regular basis since mid winter. a week ago fishing in backwater area's below the dam was excellent. Mostly females with the best bite late in the day and after dark. there are many easily accessible shore fishing locations and much more effective fishing from shore after dark than from the boat, last week ice prevented boat access to the better locations anyway. yesterday the bite was still excellent despite the weather. but males are much more prevelant signaling a begining of the spawn. most males were milky and some even had eggs stuck to their bellies. day fishing was great from shore and boats. best female fishing will continue to be after dark. Lots of fishing pressure the past few weeks, boat ramps are always full. Can anyone tell me why so many boat anglers are leaving 1-2 hours before sunset....about the time when the best bite starts and when most of the trophy fish are caught???? that is when we head out. assume many people are staying way down in chamberlin and want to get back before dark. we stay just outside of thompson, less than a mile from the dam. a trailer house converted into a 4 unit motel. a fish camp for sure but the rooms are clean, inexpensive.....and sure beats the drive back to chamberlin. Also have many good local contacts there. one more observation, the smallmouth fishing in lower lake sharpe in may and june, just above the dam is world class...... but totally ignored. a pleasant break when the great walleye fishing becomes boring. if anyone wants info on the "lodge" email me. have pics and proprietors contact number.....it is ok to book it up on the weekend just don't screw up my midweek lodging opportunities. heading back out thurs. at noon for the thurs and friday night bites. looking forward to casting a big rap along the shoreline riprap after dark for the hawg who hasn't spawned yet. one of the locals got a 12 about 2 weeks ago.

one other note....if fishing the chamberlin area....think shallow rip rap for the next 2 weeks....especially during low light.....most people have been fish way to deep the last 2 weeks. - jeff

Jack, Dakota gave good advice except for fishing the dredge hole.
Why would you want to kill fish under the 15" slot limit or keep a fish over 18" which is likely a female that hasen't spawed yet. There's plenty of fish to be caught in other areas of the river.

Fishing has been great thusfar this season. I have been fishing the Chamberlain area a couple of times a week for a little over a month now. The flats between Chamberlain and Fort Thompson have been the place to be. We've caught well over 200 eyes between 15 and 24 inches in 8 days plus another 150 smaller guys. Most of the smaller fish came from the spillway near the dam. I haven't fished the dredge hole but I hear that they are tiny there also. Verical jigging on the edge of the river channel has worked for us. We also found some decent fish up in the stumps. The fish are starting to squirt a little. So they should be spawning for the next two weeks or so.

Thanks for the good info guys I'm looking forward to being out there. Now I'm praying that the weather is nice. We're out of business here on the rivers for quite a while with our flooding. I like catching the shallow fish since we catch and release most everything since my wife and kids are alergic to fish and seafood. I was concerned about the other posts talking about fishing deep. Thanks again for the info.