Lake Sharpe is a large

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

impounded by Big Bend Dam on the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

in central

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The lake has an area of and a maximum depth of . Lake Sharpe is approximately long, with a shoreline of . Lake Sharpe is the 54th largest reservoir in the United States. The lake starts near Ft. Thompson and stretches upstream to

Oahe Dam The Oahe Dam () is a large earthen dam on the Missouri River, just north of Pierre, South Dakota, Pierre, South Dakota, United States. Begun in 1948 and opened in 1962, the dam creates Lake Oahe, the fourth-largest man-made reservoir in the United ...

, near Pierre. The lake is located within the following counties: Buffalo, Lyman, Hyde, Hughes, and

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

. The Big Bend of the Missouri is about north of the dam. Construction of Big Bend Dam began in 1959, and Lake Sharpe was named for Merrill Q. Sharpe, the 17th Governor of South Dakota. Species of fish in the reservoir include

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the walleyed pike, yellow pike, yellow pikeperch or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern ...

, sauger,

smallmouth bass The smallmouth bass (''Micropterus dolomieu'') is a species of freshwater fish in the Centrarchidae, sunfish family (biology), family (Centrarchidae) of the order (biology), order Centrarchiformes. It is the type species of its genus ''Micropterus ...

channel catfish The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus''), known informally as the "channel cat", is a species of catfish native to North America. They are North America's most abundant catfish species, and the official state fish of Kansas, Missouri, Nebra ...

flathead catfish The flathead catfish (''Pylodictis olivaris''), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus ''Py ...

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (pikes). They are commonly found in brackish water, moderately salty and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). T ...

white bass The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass (''Morone chrysops'') is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12–15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with whit ...

yellow perch The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samuel Latham Mitchill fr ...

black crappie The black crappie (''Pomoxis nigromaculatus'') is a freshwater fish in the sunfish family ( Centrarchidae). It is endemic to North America, one of the two types of crappies. It is very similar to the white crappie (''P. annularis'') in size, s ...

, and

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...

. Walleye are the primary gamefish in the lake, and gizzard shad are the main food source for the walleye. Big game animals include whitetail and mule deer, elk, bison, coyotes and wild turkeys. Waterfowl and upland game birds include ducks, geese, pheasants, prairie chickens, and grouse. There is over 80,000 acres of public land and water associated around Lake Sharpe. The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks maintains several recreation areas and boat launching facilities around the lake. West Bend Recreation Area and Farm Island State Recreation Area are both located on the lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains recreation areas and wildlife areas near Big Bend Dam, includin
Left Tailrace Campground
Much of the western shore of the lake is within the Lower Brule Indian Reservation, while the Crow Creek Indian Reservation lies along the eastern shore. Both tribes lost extensive fertile bottomlands when the government acquired property that would be inundated by the manmade lake. This loss of agricultural lands adversely affected each of the tribes and the ability of their peoples to support themselves on the reservations.

External links

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Big Bend Dam / Lake SharpeLake Sharpe Recreation - recreation.gov
recreation information, camping reservations
South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and ParksLeft Tailrace Recreation Area (USACE)West Bend Recreation Area (SD Game, Fish & Parks)Farm Island Recreation Area (SD Game, Fish & Parks)LaFramboise Island Nature Area (SD Game, Fish & Parks)

References

{{authority control Sharpe Sharpe Protected areas of Buffalo County, South Dakota Protected areas of Hughes County, South Dakota Protected areas of Hyde County, South Dakota Protected areas of Lyman County, South Dakota Protected areas of Stanley County, South Dakota Bodies of water of Buffalo County, South Dakota Bodies of water of Hughes County, South Dakota Bodies of water of Hyde County, South Dakota Bodies of water of Lyman County, South Dakota Bodies of water of Stanley County, South Dakota

See also

External links

References