"Lake Mitchell is another good one for channel catfish. The Big Sioux and James River have good channel cat fishing. The farther you get toward the Missouri River, the better your chances of catching a flathead catfish. Typically, they fish the cats below dams and also at any bridge crossing where they can fish from shore. There is a contingent that does it, but you aren't going to be crowded most of the time. You can go out and find a spot and have it to yourself."

Farther to the north, Richmond Lake is good for crappie, said Brian Blackwell, SDDGFP fish biologist at Webster. "We had good natural reproduction of our crappie in 2005," he reported. "I would say our crappie numbers will be pretty good. They may be small, but they are plentiful. Reetz Lake and Lynn Lake and Cattail Kettle will be good. They may be on the small end, but in the future those lakes will be good for crappie. Right now, besides Richmond, Pickerel as well as Enemy Swim are providing quite a bit of activity for crappie anglers."

As for northeastern South Dakota, Blackwell recommends Elm Lake for bullheads. Some of the areas of the northeast have had so many bullheads that commercial fishing for them has been allowed in the past in order to reduce populations.

"In the '60s and '70s people wanted bullheads, but not now," said Blackwell. "Everybody has walleyes on the brain. But panfishing overall has definitely increased the past few years."

NORTH DAKOTA
The same panfish species are also found in North Dakota, and panfishing has been growing in popularity there, too. Actually, winter is the favorite time to go after the main species, the yellow perch. But early summer's the prime time for catching the rest: crappie, bluegills, bullheads and white bass.

In Devils Lake, the white-bass fishery is superb -- so good, indeed, that lots of anglers from other states are now traveling there to catch really large silver bass, as they are sometimes called.

"There are lots of white bass," said Randy Hiltner, fish biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at Devils Lake. "They are a panfish with muscle. They have a high catch rate, but they have some horsepower, so it is the best of both worlds."

Devils Lake's white bass range from 6 to 18 inches. "Around 15 inches or bigger is a pretty nice white bass," said Hiltner. "A white bass, when you get a 17-incher and it's full of eggs, it will be around 3 pounds -- a nice big fat female. A 15-incher is around 2 pounds or a little more."

This is trophy-sized white bass fishing by any measure in North America. The fish have really flourished in Devils Lake, and the lake has turned around from years ago, when the salinity was so high that few fish could even reproduce successfully in its waters. Of course, the lake's also much larger now; its volume has increased enormously during the past decade, which has freshened the water correspondingly.

"White bass feed on small fish as well as freshwater shrimp," said Hiltner. "They will also eat invertebrates. They are not too fussy. When you can catch them on a crankbait, they must be eating small fish, too. Their condition is excellent. It is some of the best condition in the upper Midwest. They really find the conditions in Devils Lake about optimum. They grow well, and are heavy-bodied."

Early June is usually near the peak spawning time for white bass, and the period during which they're most easily caught. They're close to shore. And they'll hit about anything when they're in a feeding frenzy. Spinners, jigs and minnows are the three main lures and baits to catch them.

"They catch them a lot of different ways," said Hiltner. "They are caught incidentally when people are casting crankbaits. And off the bank -- with spoons, twistertails and jigs."