PIERRE, S.D. – At their September meeting, the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) Commission voted to change four rules regarding waters in South Dakota.
The commission voted to allow the spearing of gamefish from the Nebraska/South Dakota border at the point where the river becomes entirely in South Dakota, upstream to the Ft. Randall Dam from May 1 – March 31. This would align the current gamefish spearfishing season dates below other Missouri River dams. Statewide, the hours for spearfishing game fish will now end one-half hour after sunset.
On Canyon and Bismarck Lakes, the commission voted to limit boaters to the use of electric motors only.
The commission also voted to require safety signage and the marking of open water areas when aquatic aeration systems are being used on waters with open public access, during times of ice cover.
Finally, the commission changed the daily trout limit from 7 to 5 on Nebraska/South Dakota border waters. This aligns with South Dakota’s inland waters limits.
Changes Made to Aquatic Invasive Species Rules
The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) Commission repealed the rule allowing for the creation of Local Boat Registries. Boaters in certain areas of the state, who only used their watercraft on specific waters infested with zebra mussels, were exempt from decontamination requirements if they stayed within the boundaries defined for each registry. The department will be developing a new approach to decontamination in association with the increase in zebra mussel infested waters in the state.
