Fishing at Punished Womans Lake, Codington County, South Dakota

• Overview

  Within Codington County, South Dakota, you have Punished Womans Lake. It stands 1,837 feet above sea level. At 486 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. Shoreline length is close to 3.6 miles, and each section fishes a little differently. The nearest town is Milbank, 16 miles away. It is 109 miles to Sioux Falls, the nearest city. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Punished Womans Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Public occurrence data for Codington County names Iowa darter, green sunfish, white sucker and northern pike. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Work Punished Womans Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 71°F, with January the cold end at about 10°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Punished Womans Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. There is a mapped slipway roughly half a mile away. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. A pier or jetty stands half a mile away, which helps on a crowded bank. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Round Lake, 1.2 miles out. Nothing here settles the position at Punished Womans Lake for certain.