Mike's Maps has been creating detailed GPS lake maps of South Dakota lakes, reservoirs and sloughs since 1998. Their maps provide GPS coordinates to structural elements that other mapping companies haven't taken the time research.
A detailed lake map is an invaluable tool before heading out onto a body of water. Spend a little research time on shore to increase your results on the water.
All maps are printed on synthetic paper.
Mke's Maps are affordable, durable and they float!
Lake Thompson is the largest natural water body (not a man-made reservoir) in the state of South Dakota. The lake is approximately 9 miles from the northern to southern edge, and approximately 3 1/2 miles wide at its widest point. Water levels have fluctuated wildly over recent decades. The entire basin was dry, even being farmed during the 1930s. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the area was a large slough, but with limited open water in comparison to today. A wet period in the late 1980s resulted in dramatic filling of Lake Thompson (as well as other eastern South Dakota lakes and sloughs), with a rise in water level of nearly 20 feet over 1980s levels. The lake had become the largest natural lake in the state of South Dakota, supporting a very popular and productive fishery. Surrounding farmland was swallowed by the expanding lake, and several roads were covered with water. "Oldham grade", shown bisects the southern edge of the lake, but the road was closed for most of the 1990s due to water lapping over the road.