Lake Francis Case is a large reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 behind Fort Randall Dam

Fort Randall Dam

The Fort Randall Dam is an earth embankment dam impounding the Missouri River in South Dakota, United States and forming Lake Francis Case. It is one of six Missouri River dams, four being located in South Dakota....

 on the Missouri River

Missouri River

The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...

 in south-central South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

, USA. The lake has an area of 102000 acres (412.8 km²) and a maximum depth of 140 ft (42.7 m). Lake Francis Case has a length of approximately 107 mi (172.2 km) and has a shoreline of 540 mi (869 km). The reservoir is named for former South Dakota Senator Francis H. Case

Francis H. Case

Francis Higbee Case was an American journalist and politician who served for 25 years as a member of the United States Congress from South Dakota. He was a Republican.-Biography:...

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Species of fish in the reservoir include walleye

Walleye

Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...

, northern pike

Northern Pike

The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...

, sauger

Sauger

The sauger is a freshwater perciform fish of the family Percidae which resembles its close relative the walleye. They are members of the largest vertebrate order, Perciforms. They are the most migratory percid species in North America. Saugers obtain two dorsal fins, the first is spiny and the...

, sunfish

Centrarchidae

The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...

, yellow perch

Yellow perch

The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...

, common carp

Common carp

The Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive...

, black bullhead

Black bullhead

The black bullhead, Ameiurus melas, is a species of bullhead catfish. Like other bullhead catfish, it has the ability to thrive in waters that are low in oxygen, brackish, turbid and/or very warm. It also has barbels located near its mouth, a broad head, spiny fins and no scales...

, channel catfish

Channel catfish

Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...

, and smallmouth bass

Smallmouth bass

The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...

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The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks maintains the North Point, Pease Creek, North Wheeler, Platte Creek, Snake Creek and Buryanek Recreation Areas along Lake Francis Case.

Several major highways cross the reservoir. South Dakota Highway 44 crosses over the lake between rural Charles Mix County and Gregory County

Gregory County, South Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,792 people, 2,022 households, and 1,290 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile . There were 2,405 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...

 on the longest bridge in South Dakota, and Interstate 90

Interstate 90

Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...

 crosses the reservoir between Chamberlain

Chamberlain, South Dakota

Chamberlain is a city in Brule County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,387 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brule County. Chamberlain is home to the Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center, which profiles the lives of nomadic Plains Indians...

 and Oacoma

Oacoma, South Dakota

Oacoma is a town in Lyman County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 451 at the 2010 census. Oacoma is located on the west bank of the Missouri River, across from Chamberlain.-Geography:Oacoma is located at ....

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