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United States / South Dakota / Flathead catfish

Flathead catfish bite in South Dakota

Flathead catfish lives in South Dakota. Today's bite forecast, a day-by-day and hour-by-hour activity calendar, best time and baits.

Flathead catfish bite forecast in South Dakota today

Best fishing days for the next week

  1. ThursdaySeptember 10weather-based forecast
    70/100high activity

    Cloudy: 64–93 °F

    Best fishing time: 00:00–03:00

  2. MondaySeptember 7weather-based forecast
    68/100high activity

    Cloudy: 68–100 °F

    Best fishing time: 00:00–03:00

  3. FridaySeptember 11weather-based forecast
    67/100high activity

    Drizzle: 64–97 °F

    Best fishing time: 00:00–03:00

Other fish in South Dakota

  • Walleye10 catches
  • Pike6 catches
  • Rainbow trout4 catches
  • Largemouth bass4 catches
  • Smallmouth bass3 catches
  • Black crappie2 catches
  • Channel catfish1 catch
  • Bluegill1 catch
  • Yellow perch1 catch
  • Flathead catfish bite calendar

    Saturday, September 5

    Aug 31 – Sep 6
    Mon
    Tue
    Wed
    Thu
    Fri
    Sat
    Sun
    Bite activity:highmediumlowslow
    Based on:weatherseasonal
    What is a bite calendar?

    Hourly activity

    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00
    Bite activity:highmediumlow

    The bite is moderate — fish feed in short bursts. Pressure is rising — activity tends to be more subdued.

    Peak bite hours

    Best time — 00:00–05:00 and 23:00–23:00 (nighttime activity).

    Tactics

    Work the cover — snags, weed edges, hole entrances; retrieve the lure with pauses.

    Lures

    The water's turning murky — go with bright, noisy lures: live-bait bottom rig or large bottom bait.

    Gear

    It's a hot day — a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water are a must. Rain is expected — don't forget a rain jacket or a waterproof shell.

    Summary

    An average day — best chances during peak windows.

    Why this forecast

    The computed water temperature is around 74 °F — inside the 70–86 °F comfort range for Flathead catfish, so baseline activity is high.

    Computed water temperature by month; the green band is the 70–86 °F comfort rangecomfort 70–86 °F74 °F
    JFMAMJJASOND

    Flathead catfish feeds at night: the peak falls in the dark hours, between sunset and sunrise.

    The day: daylight hours and when Flathead catfish feeds0:0012:0024:00

    Pressure is rising 0.06 inHg over the day — the bite usually settles down after a rise.

    Pressure through the day, 0.06 inHg change
    00:00 · 29.8323:00 · 29.88 inHg

    September is an average month for Flathead catfish here.

    JFMAMJJASOND

    These are the same values the bite curve above was computed from. How the forecast works

    5 SepSaturday, September 5
    +85°

    Partly cloudy · feels like +82°

    Low / high
    +73°…+92°
    Precipitation
    0.00 in
    Wind
    16 mph ESE
    Cloud cover
    75%
    Humidity
    39%
    Pressure
    29.88 inHg
    00:00+76°—9 mpheast wind, 9 mph83%1%
    01:00+76°—10 mpheast wind, 10 mph87%4%
    02:00+75°—12 mpheast wind, 12 mph87%28%
    03:00+75°—12 mpheast wind, 12 mph88%35%
    04:00+74°—11 mpheast wind, 11 mph89%11%
    05:00+74°—12 mphsoutheast wind, 12 mph89%99%
    06:00+74°—10 mphsoutheast wind, 10 mph87%83%
    07:00+73°0.03 in7 mphnortheast wind, 7 mph89%99%
    08:00+74°0.03 in14 mphsoutheast wind, 14 mph63%90%
    09:00+74°—18 mphsoutheast wind, 18 mph59%100%
    10:00+73°—16 mpheast wind, 16 mph74%100%
    11:00+76°—26 mphsoutheast wind, 26 mph51%100%
    12:00+85°—16 mpheast wind, 16 mph39%75%
    13:00+87°—16 mphsoutheast wind, 16 mph41%75%
    14:00+90°—12 mphsouth wind, 12 mph40%0%
    15:00+92°—14 mphsouth wind, 14 mph36%100%
    16:00+91°—13 mphsouth wind, 13 mph44%100%
    17:00+91°—13 mphsouth wind, 13 mph47%100%
    18:00+91°—12 mphsouth wind, 12 mph49%69%
    19:00+88°—8 mphsouth wind, 8 mph55%100%
    20:00+84°—6 mphsoutheast wind, 6 mph62%20%
    21:00+82°—6 mpheast wind, 6 mph69%100%
    22:00+80°—7 mpheast wind, 7 mph73%100%
    23:00+80°—8 mphsoutheast wind, 8 mph70%100%
    +92°+83°+73°
    Weather throughout the day
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00

    Sun and moon

    Saturday, September 5
    The day: daylight and the hours the moon is above the horizon. Local time0:0012:0024:00
    DaylightMoon above the horizon
    Sunrise
    06:57
    Sunset
    19:57
    Day length
    13 h
    Sunshine hours
    8 h
    UV index
    5
    moderate
    Moon
    Waning crescent
    Moonrise
    00:04
    Moonset
    16:48

    The day is 3 min shorter than yesterday.

    Sunshine hours count direct sun only — cloud cover cuts it, so it is shorter than daylight.

    Solunar feeding periods

    +15% in the windowSaturday, September 5
    Feeding windows on the day scale, local time0:0012:0024:00
    Major periodsMinor periods
    • Minor00:00–00:34Moonrise
    • Major07:27–09:27Moon overhead
    • Minor16:18–17:18Moonset
    • Major19:59–21:59Moon underfoot

    The windows are set by the moon's transit and rise, and the forecast above already accounts for them: within these hours the bite score sits higher than across the rest of the day, while the day's overall level still comes from the catch-calibrated model.

    What are solunar periods?