Indian Slough in Roberts County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Indian Slough in the Roberts County part of South Dakota. It lies 1,138 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 29 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With about 1.3 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Most waters listed here for Roberts County are larger. Sisseton is the closest town at 18 miles. Beyond it, Wheaton at 25 miles and Wahpeton at 31 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Indian Slough

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Roberts County list common carp, northern pike, walleye and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Anyone new to Indian Slough should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 72°F at the top of summer and 10°F at the bottom of winter. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Count the season from break-up, usually early April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early April until roughly late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. It holds true on Indian Slough more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Dobberstien Slough, 4.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Indian Slough carry more weight than any list.