Lake Gardner Fishing Guide, Harding County, South Dakota

• Overview

  Set in Harding County, South Dakota, this is Lake Gardner. It lies 2,920 feet above sea level. Surface area is around 191 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The shoreline runs about 3.7 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Among the waters listed for Harding County, none is wider. The closest town, Bowman, is 41 miles distant. It is 236 miles to Billings, the nearest city. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lake Gardner

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Survey and observation records for Harding County include white sucker, stonecat, black bullhead and green sunfish. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Lake Gardner that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 71°F, while January sits near 18°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early April. In an average year the thaw lands around early April and the freeze near late November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. The season on Lake Gardner follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Launching is possible: a slipway lies half a mile off. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Dry Creek Reservoir is 11 miles distant. The position on Lake Gardner is worth confirming on the day.