PIERRE, S.D. – According to South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP), the Whitlock Bay Salmon Spawning Station near Gettysburg will open this week.
“Crews are expecting below normal returns of adult salmon due to low number of juvenile salmon stocked in 2016,” said GFP fisheries biologist Robert Hanten. “Although the number of mature salmon is expected to be below average, anglers still have an opportunity to catch a salmon this fall.”
“Chinook salmon do not naturally reproduce in Lake Oahe and would not exist there without the efforts of GFP staff collecting eggs, rearing and stocking them back into the lake for anglers to enjoy,” Hanten said.
Each year juvenile Chinook salmon are stocked in middle and lower Lake Oahe. They then disperse throughout the reservoir until they become sexually mature. The water flowing down the fish ladder attracts mature salmon to the station where GFP staff collect, sort and spawn the fish.
Whitlock Bay Salmon Station is located 18 miles northwest of Gettysburg by West Whitlock Recreation Area. The station will be open for tours on Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
The fish ladder observation deck is open at any time. Group tours can also be arranged by calling 605.223.7681.
