The Whitlock Bay Salmon Spawning Station near Gettysburg will open this week.
South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks fisheries biologist Robert Hanten says crews are expecting below normal returns of adult salmon due to low number of juvenile salmon stocked in 2016. He says although the number of mature salmon is expected to be below average, anglers still have an opportunity to catch a salmon this fall.
Hanten says Chinook salmon do not naturally reproduce in Lake Oahe. He says each year juvenile Chinook salmon are stocked in middle and lower Lake Oahe. They then disperse throughout the reservoir until they become sexually mature. Hanten says the water flowing down the fish ladder attracts mature salmon to the station where GFP staff collect, sort and spawn the fish.
Whitlock Bay Salmon Station is located 18 miles northwest of Gettysburg by West Whitlock Recreation Area. The station will be open for tours on Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
The fish ladder observation deck is open at any time. Group tours can also be arranged by calling 605.223.7681.
