Mortimer Slough in Brookings County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Mortimer Slough in Brookings County, South Dakota. This is pine and birch ground. With some 139 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Start from Volga, 9.8 miles down the road. Brookings is 14 miles away, with Clear Lake at 25 miles. Close by you have: Johnson Lake out at 0.6 miles, Round Lake roughly 1.3 miles, Moe Slough out at 1.8 miles, Lake Oakwood roughly 1.9 miles and Lake Thisted out at 7.8 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Mortimer Slough

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Brookings County include common carp, black bullhead and green sunfish. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. The shape of Mortimer Slough rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 71°F in July and bottom out at 11°F in January. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early April. From about early April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Time your trip to Mortimer Slough by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. A launch point is recorded some half a mile off. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. Public data records a pier about half a mile out. A toilet block sits half a mile away. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Johnson Lake, 0.6 miles out. Treat access at Mortimer Slough as something to verify.