Punished Woman Lake is a natural glacial lake in northeastern
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 ...
. It is located in
Codington County
Codington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 28,325. Its county seat is Watertown. The county was created in 1877 and organized in 1878. It is named for Rev. George S. S ...
, and borders the town of
South Shore. The lake's surface area is , with approximately of shoreline. The average water depth is around .
Punished Woman Lake is managed by the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks (SDGFP) agency as a fishery for
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 ...
and
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 ...
. The lake is also inhabited by
black bullhead,
common carp
The Eurasian carp or European carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), widely known as the common carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Arkive The ...
,
golden shiner,
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 ...
, and
white suckerfish. Due to the lake's shallow waters,
fish kill
The term fish kill, known also as fish die-off, refers to a localized die-off of fish populations which may also be associated with more generalized mortality of aquatic life.University of Florida. Gainesville, FL (2005) ''Plant Management in Fl ...
s during extreme summer or winter temperatures are not unusual, and the SDGFP re-stocks the lake's primary species as needed.
Legend
Punished Woman Lake is named for a Sioux Indian legend that tells of a young woman who ran away with her forbidden lover, defying her father's wishes for her to marry a clan chief. When the woman and her lover were returned to the tribe's camp along the lake's shore, the enraged chief killed his opponent, and then shot an arrow through the heart of the young woman.
See also
*
List of lakes in South Dakota
This is a list of lakes in South Dakota.
See also
*List of rivers of South Dakota
Sources
Lake Surveys, Maps, and Fishing ForecastsNortheast South Dakota fish surveysSoutheast South Dakota fish surveysWestern South Dakota fish surveys ...
References
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Lakes of South Dakota
Lakes of Codington County, South Dakota