Lake Sharpe 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 Big Bend Dam

Big Bend Dam

Big Bend Dam is a major rolled earth dam along the Missouri River in central South Dakota.The dam, 95 feet high and 10,570 feet in length, was constructed as part of the Pick-Sloan Plan for Missouri watershed development authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944. Construction began in 1959 and...

 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 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 56884 acres (230.2 km²) and a maximum depth of 78 ft (23.8 m). Lake Sharpe is approximately 80 mi (128.7 km) long, with a shoreline of 200 mi (321.9 km).

Construction of Big Bend Dam began in 1959, and Lake Sharpe was named for Merrill Q. Sharpe

Merrill Q. Sharpe

Merrell Quentin Sharpe was a Republican American politician from Kennebec, South Dakota.-Governor:Sharpe served as 17th Governor of South Dakota from 1943 to 1947.,...

, the 17th Governor

Governor of South Dakota

The Governor of South Dakota is the head of the executive branch of the government of South Dakota. They are elected to a four year term on even years when there is no Presidential election. The current governor is Dennis Daugaard, a Republican elected in 2010....

 of South Dakota.

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...

, 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...

, 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...

, 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 white bass

White bass

The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass (MoroneIt is the state fish of Oklahoma.- Range :White bass are distributed widely across the United States, particularly in the midwest. They are very abundant in Pennsylvania and the area around Lake Erie...

. Walleye are the primary gamefish in the lake, and gizzard shad are the main food source for the walleye.

The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks maintains several recreation areas and boat launching facilities around the lake. West Bend Recreation Area and Farm Island State Recreation Area are both located on the lake.

Much of the western shore of the lake is within the Lower Brule Indian Reservation

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 central South Dakota in the United States. It is adjacent to the Crow Creek Indian Reservation...

, while the Crow Creek Indian Reservation lies along the eastern shore.