It is located in Codington County, and borders the town of South Shore.

The lake's surface area is 477 acres (193 ha), with approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) of shoreline.

[1] Punished Woman Lake is managed by the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks (SDGFP) agency as a fishery for northern pike and yellow perch.

The lake is also inhabited by black bullhead, common carp, golden shiner, walleye, and white suckerfish.

Punished Woman Lake is named for a Sioux Indian legend that tells of a young woman who ran away with her forbidden lover, defying her father's wishes for her to marry a clan chief.