Of the four reservoirs on the river, only Oahe is hurting for water. Yet the low lake level isn't the reason behind a reduction in daily bag limits (to six, down from 10 in 2003 and 14 in '02) - it's a forage issue. Four years ago, the rainbow smelt population crashed, leaving lots of walleyes with not nearly enough food.

"We're starting to see positive signs in the abundance of smelt," said Dennis Unkenholz, fisheries chief for the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks. "Our objective was to get walleyes and other predator fish back in balance with available food sources. We're hoping to get back to what it was, when walleyes were less abundant but the average fish was between 2 and 4 pounds."

(Note: Lakes Sharpe and Francis Case too have reduced daily limits this year, from four fish per day to three. Anglers can keep only one fish over 18 inches, and a 15-inch minimum-length limit applies from September through June.)

Mike Fahey, who guides out of Carl's Bait Shop in Pierre, says that Oahe's low water hasn't affected the fishing at all, and that the changing regulations there and at Sharpe are beginning to reap dividends.

"Based on what we saw last year and especially in the fall and winter, the fish are in great shape," he reported. "There are lots of fish in the 16- to 20-inch range, and they all have fat on them. We're looking forward to an excellent year on Oahe. We do have low water, but GF&P will take care of the ramps.

"There's also a lot of fish in Sharpe right now - mainly 15- to 16-inch fish. There's no problem finding them. And there's big fish, too. In the fall, before ice-up, I weighed seven fish that went from 8 to 12 pounds. I say Sharpe will be very good this year."

Fahey spends the early season on Sharpe, where he works the sandbars drifting lightweight jigs - 1/8-ouncers, or even a bare hook and split shot - with minnows from the bridges around Pierre all the way to Antelope Creek, a 15-mile stretch. The period from mid-May through August finds him on Oahe, where his primary pattern involves pitching jigs and minnows (or crawlers or leeches) in shallow water and dragging them back to the boat in 15 to 18 feet of water. His main targets are the sides of main-lake points and "cups" in the bays.

Fisheries chief Unkenholz anticipates that both Francis Case and Lewis and Clark should remain consistently strong as well. "All four reservoirs are places I'd spend a day fishing," he said. "You can't go wrong starting in the upper ends early in the year and gradually moving down the systems through July. By then, there really isn't a bad place to go."

The Missouri River lakes may get most of the acclaim, but Unkenholz points to three smaller irrigation reservoirs that should serve anglers in the western part of the state well.

• Angostura: "You could expect very good catch rates, and some 3- to 5-pound fish in an outing. It's mostly a seasonal fishery, best in spring and fall. Things slow down there when it gets too hot."
• Orman Dam/Belle Fourche: "The lake is down a lot, but populations are strong. You can go up there and catch a couple dozen fish in a day, but you may not see very many big ones."
• Shade Hill: "Because of run-off it can be cloudy, but it is a walleye lake. The fish tend to be on the small side, but we're seeing improved growth rates. Anglers are very satisfied with the catch rates.

There are too many good choices to count in the east - Pickerel, Enemy Swim, Thompson, Madison, Lynn, Sinai, Bitter, Kampeska, Poinsett - but one lake stands out for Unkenholz in 2004.

"We've got a really unique situation at Waubay right now," he said. "The 1999 year-class is absolutely huge. Those fish are between 14 and 16 inches, and three guys can boat 100 walleyes in a day. It's a very attractive fishery, and we're encouraging the harvest."

"Lake Sakakawea is 30 feet below normal operating level. Our portion of Lake Oahe is virtually a river right now, and in between, the river is pretty much only the main channel," said Jeff Hendrickson, a Missouri River fisheries biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. "With concentrated fish and an overall lack of forage, it makes for good fishing - if you can get out there. We'll have to extend virtually all the ramps on Sakakawea, and it's gotten to the point on Oahe where we can't extend any of them. But there will be plenty of access."

Hendrickson predicts an average year "or maybe a little better" for Sakakawea, and since average fishing there still constitutes great fishing to most people, and anglers should expect loads of decent-sized fish this year. "Right now, our abundance of fish over 20 inches is probably as good as it's ever been," he noted. "And there lots of fish in the 15- to 18-inch range. Plenty of whoppers (8 pounds or better) are there, too - just not as many. It's no Lake Erie, but the odds are pretty good that you'll catch a good one."

The bite, reports Hendrickson, starts heating up in early May at the upper end of Sakakawea, which is now practically the New Town area. As the season progresses, it gets good from Van Hook south to Garrison Dam - from the end of May and into July. And though much of the walleye world slows down in August, Sakakawea stays fairly consistent all the way through October, according to Hendrickson.

Some anglers are still catching fish in the river between Garrison Dam and Bismarck; however, Hendrickson notes, fish numbers and angler effort are about half of what they normally are, as walleyes have never been easier to find thanks to the low water. Fishing along the many sandbars, deep holes, islands, shallow flats, and the tailrace, he says, will still produce a respectable limit of fish.

OK: Enough talk about low water levels. Devils Lake is in the midst of a 10-year wet cycle that has the lake at nearly double its previous size - and the surface-acreage isn't the only thing growing.

"The average size is starting to trend a little larger over what it's been the past several years," said Randy Hiltner, fisheries biologist in the Devils Lake office of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. "The 1997 year-class is going pretty strong, and there's more quality from top to bottom in the population. That trend should continue."

While the average fish is in the 15- to 18-inch class, Hiltner is of the opinion that the lake should again produce whopper walleyes in 2004. In fact, a new lake record was established last fall with the taking of a 12-pound, 14-ounce mammoth.

Brian Ringeisen of Anglers Adventures & Outfitters anticipates an excellent year on Devils Lake. "We had a lot of fish in the 7- to 8-pound range last year, and most of our guys were getting limits of fish between 2 1/2 and 6 pounds," he offered. "We tend to target the bigger fish, but there are plenty of areas where a guy can catch smaller fish all day long. There is just a tremendous amount of walleyes in the 2- to 3 1/2-pound range."

During the peak season of May-July, Ringeisen typically relies on slip-bobbering with jigs and minnows or leeches in the flooded timber for numbers, and on crankbaits or minnow baits on the flats or weedlines for big fish. Those patterns can hold up until fall, he said.

Devils Lake will be tough to beat, but Hiltner said some worthy opportunities exist on smaller waters in the east, including Stump Lake, South Golden Lake, and even tiny North Tobiason Lake.