"Spring walleyes are the easiest to pattern on the lake." Fields remarked. "I can usually work a pocket of fish for several days by making small moves. They like shallow water this time of year and spread out on the flats, islands, timber, and rocky points. Catching spring walleyes on the lake is easy, but you have to work for the better fish."

Fields said there is no big secret to catching pre-spawn walleyes on the lake; everyone can enjoy good action. "Typical spring techniques work best; if you don't find fish within a half-hour, it's time to relocate," he says.

While Waubay takes top honors, lakes like Swan, Cattail, Bitter and Lynn in the Webster area will also see great action over the next month. Stop by the Sportsman's Cove in Webster and talk to Doug Johnson to get the latest scoop on the bite.

It's hard to discuss April walleye fishing in the state without also looking at the Missouri River. While each reservoir will take center stage at some point in the season, my top pick for this month is Lake Francis Case.

April is a month of transition on the lake. The beginning of the month is generally reserved for a tailrace and upper-lake bite, using jigs or live bait. The presentation is slow and slower in the clear, cold water. By month's end however, everything goes -- the tailrace is on fire, live-bait fishing is filling livewells, throughout the reservoir, and crankbait action has exploded in the middle of the lake.

While April was a very productive month on the lake last year, the action quickly simmered and wasn't quite up to par by summer's end. John Lott, fisheries biologist with the South Dakota Department of Game Fish and Parks points to an increase in pressure, poor spawning conditions, and a general reduction in walleye numbers as the problem.

"The walleye harvest on the lake has been exceeding goals for a couple of years," Lott explains. "And with limited spawning success we needed to look at options to prevent any further problems."

Last year, the daily limit was reduced from four walleyes to three, and Lott says that, overall, anglers welcomed the new regulations. "Most anglers saw a need to maintain the fishery and we had very few negative remarks about the changes."

Starting at the headwaters of the reservoir at the Big Bend Dam and working downstream, let's take a look at the lake.

The fast water in the tailrace below the dam started producing fish back in March, and by mid-month will be a shore-fisherman's bonanza. Spawning walleyes stage along the riprap there by the score. By using light jigs and shallow-running plugs and fishing them on into the night, anglers can take home easy limits, if the current conditions are favorable.

Farther downstream along the Kiowa flats and Crow Creek, anglers jigging and live-baiting have seen a good bite as well. The area sees a lot of attention, and the fish are very spooky. By making small moves away from the crowd, savvy anglers can find a good bite.

Next in line lies the Chamberlain area with its miles of riprap-lined banks. It eats a lot of tackle, but these rocks are home to scores of bread-and-butter-sized fish. It's a jig angler's paradise.

By month's end, anglers pulling small plugs on leadcore line south of Chamberlain along Carpenters Bluffs and past the White River to Boyers, are taking limits of fish. Try pulling small, bright plugs in the 15- to 18-foot depth range and you won't be disappointed.