The mighty Missouri River flows through many Upper Plains states such as Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Missouri, before entering the Mississippi River. This massive tributary system stretches for over 2,600 miles from Three Forks, Mon, to join the Mississipi River just upstream from St. Louis, Mo.

There are six Army Corps of Engineers reservoir system dams along this stretch: Fort Peck, Garrison, Oahe, Big Bend, Fort Randall, and Gavins Point. These reservoirs contain over 73-million acre-feet of water storage capacity and comprise the largest reservoir system in the U.S. There is an aggregate water surface area of 1 million acres for recreation, fishing and wildlife enhancement!

For purposes of this column, we want to talk about the walleye fishing in the reservoirs of the Big Mo! There have been some massive walleyes caught all along the upper reservoirs in recent years.

The North Dakota state record walleye, weighing an incredible 16 pounds and 6 ounces, was caught March 13th, by a Dickenson, North Dakota angler, Jared Shypkoski. This massive walleye stretched to 33 inches and was caught in the Eckroth Bottoms area of upper Lake Oahe, one of the reservoirs along the Missouri River. This new record walleye eclipsed the previous No. Dak. walleye record by almost a pound!

The current South Dakota state walleye record fish has recently been certified at a weight of 17 pounds, 13.92 ounces, measured 33 inches long and boasts an incredible 22-inch girth! This amazing fish was caught on November 11 by seasoned angler Keith Pazour, who lives in Pierre, South Dakota.

Keith’s record catch eclipsed the previous South Dakota state record walleye of 16.5 pounds which was certified a mere 3 weeks previous to Keith’s fish! The point is, these two massive fish have come in rapid fire compared to a So. Dak. record which had stood for 21 years prior to this recent flurry of record-breaking commotion.

The funny thing is, Keith’s wife had told him that he could not mount any more fish unless it was a state record! Well, she’s gonna have to put up with one more!

With all this happening, and the fact that I live in South Dakota, I felt that I just had to somehow take part in this frenzy of monster, teener walleyes. I just happen to have a good friend, Seth Lubbers, who had fished out on the Big Mo on November 4th, just after the first So. Dak. walleye record was broken. Seth’s brother came back with a 32 1/2-inch, 14-pound, 11-ounce giant. He suggested that I come out with him. I did!

Trolling deep water with leadcore line and 6-ounce snap weights was the ticket as we caught several fish under the slot of 20 inches, along with a few 24- to 27-inch ‘eyes. We targeted a depth of 35 feet along several sand and rock shorelines, up and down from Swan Creek.

Well, we didn’t entice a teener, but we had fun with the prospect that the next “fish on” could be a potential South Dakota state record! With the weather turning and the ice forming, there may not be many chances left this year. But, one is thing for sure: I’m going to be taking a walleye fishing vacation to the Big Mo next year…for several months during prime time!

Thinking of trying a new fishing destination this year? You’ll find plenty of suggestions in every issue of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.