Lake Sharpe is a large

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

impounded by

Big Bend Dam Big Bend Dam is a major embankment rolled-earth dam on the Missouri River in Central South Dakota, United States, creating Lake Sharpe. The dam was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Pick-Sloan Plan for Missouri wa ...

on the Missouri River in central

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. 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 Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. 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. The dam creates Lake Oahe, the fourth-largest man-made reservoir in the United States. The reservoir stretches up ...

, near

Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

. The lake is located within the following counties: Buffalo, Lyman, Hyde,

Hughes Hughes may refer to: People * Hughes (surname) * Hughes (given name) Places Antarctica * Hughes Range (Antarctica), Ross Dependency * Mount Hughes, Oates Land * Hughes Basin, Oates Land * Hughes Bay, Graham Land * Hughes Bluff, Victoria La ...

, 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 The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of South Dakota. The governor is elected to a four-year term in even years when there is no presidential election. The current governor is Kristi Noem, a member of the Republican Party who t ...

. Species of fish in the reservoir include

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

sauger The sauger (''Sander canadensis'') is a freshwater perciform fish of the family Percidae that resembles its close relative, the walleye. The species is a member of the largest vertebrate order, the Perciformes.Jaeger, Matthew. 2004. Montana's Fi ...

, smallmouth bass,

channel catfish The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus'') is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, the ...

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 ''P ...

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...

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 white s ...

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

black crappie The black crappie (''Pomoxis nigromaculatus'') is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two types of crappies. It is very similar to the white crappie in size, shape, and habits, except that it is darker, with a pattern of black sp ...

, and

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

. Walleye are the primary gamefish in the lake, and

gizzard shad ''Dorosoma'' is a genus that contains five species of shads, within the herring family Clupeidae. The five species are native to the North and/or Central America, and are known from both fresh water and the waters of estuaries and bays. The Ame ...

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 The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks (GFP) is the U.S. State of South Dakota's State Agency charged with the management of the state's public recreational and outdoor resources. The GFP manages the 13 State Parks and 43 State R ...

maintains several recreation areas and boat launching facilities around the lake. West Bend Recreation Area and

Farm Island State Recreation Area A farm (also called an Agriculture, agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to Agriculture, agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food produ ...

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 The Lower Brulé Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation that belongs to the Lower Brulé Lakota Tribe. It is located on the west bank of the Missouri River in Lyman and Stanley counties in central South Dakota in the United States. It is ...

, while the

Crow Creek Indian Reservation The Crow Creek Indian Reservation ( dak, Khąǧí wakpá okášpe, '' lkt, Kȟaŋğí Wakpá Oyáŋke''), home to Crow Creek Sioux Tribe ( dak, Khąǧí wakpá oyáte) is located in parts of Buffalo, Hughes, and Hyde counties on the east bank ...

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