Amsden Dam was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1936. The dam is located in west central Day County along the Day-Brown County line. The reservoir’s shoreline is undeveloped except for a small park operated by the South Dakota Dept. of Game, Fish and Parks. Land use in the watershed is mainly cropland. Several thousand acres of native rangeland are located in the watershed along the west slope of the Prairie Coteau and on the steeper slopes of a large glacier moraine known locally as the Crandall-Crocker Hills where several dozen wind turbines have been recently constructed.
Amsden Dam Reservoir
Maximum Depth: 27 feet
Mean Depth: 9 feet
Lake Volume: 2,115 acre-ft
Surface Area: 235 acres
Shoreline Length: 5.9 miles
Watershed Acres: 32,000
Major Tributaries: Dam is located on Mud Creek which flows into the
James River.
Warm Water Permanent Fisheries: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, common carp, fathead minnow, Johnny darter, muskellunge, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. State record muskellunge caught in Amsden Dam in 1991 at 40 lbs.
For additional information for Amsden Dam Reservoir click on the following links:
Watershed Map
SD GF&P Lake Contour Map
