Rattlesnake Petes Pond Fishing in Meade County, South Dakota

• Overview

  Meade County, South Dakota, is where Rattlesnake Petes Pond sits. The surface lies 2,461 feet up. At 21 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. North Eagle Butte lies 39 miles from the water. Fargo sits 281 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Rattlesnake Petes Pond

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Survey and observation records for Meade County include black bullhead, green sunfish, brown trout, white sucker and black crappie. The county list is broader than any single water. Rattlesnake Petes Pond repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 16°F in January and 73°F in July. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early April. Average temperatures cross freezing around early April in spring and again near early December in autumn. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Rattlesnake Petes Pond fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Dupree Lake is 5.5 miles distant. Nothing on Rattlesnake Petes Pond should be assumed from this page alone.