The many narrow streams scattered in the Black Hills of South Dakota offer spectacular fly-fishing action. Some of the best fly-fishing in the country can be found in the smaller creeks and streams here. Unlike the rivers and streams such as the Kenai River in Alaska or the Madison River in Yellowstone, the canyon streams here are more narrow and run fast in the early spring season. For anglers that show patience and some skill, the rewards can be immeasurable. Not to mention the beautiful scenery along the many meandering streams filled with brown, rainbow, and brook trout.
South Dakota’s trout fishing is open year-round. For those new to the area, we highly recommend hiring a guide. They can provide insight into which flies the fish are taking, which patterns to tie and use and which streams are producing good numbers of fish. Their knowledge of the waters in the Black Hills can’t be matched.
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Hire Dakota Anglers & Outfitters as your Guide
We spent a full day guided fishing with Dakota Angler & Outfitter in Rapid City. They are a full service fly-fishing shop with guide service. We were so enthusiastic about meeting our guide, David, bright and early at the main shop. He quickly got us outfitted with waders and boots, wasting no time getting us on the water.
Note: Remember to purchase a valid South Dakota fishing license online. They sell 1 day, 3 day or annual nonresident licenses.
What to Bring for Your Black Hills Fishing Adventure
It’s essential to bring your standard gear such as waders, wade boots, polarized sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and lip balm. During the early spring months, you might wear long underwear and wool socks, as the water can be quite cold. Today’s equipment is a 9-foot 5-wt fly rod with a floating line with a 6X tippet. It is advisable to bring a rain jacket. Accessories for fly-fishing such as nippers for cutting line and knots, and forceps for removing hooks.
Epic Rapid Creek Fly-fishing
David took only a few miles from the shop, stopping at Canyon Lake Park. Parking in the lot beside the west of the bridge on Chapel Lane Road. With rods in hand, we set off up the creek. He told us there is a healthy population of wild brown trout in Rapid Creek at the edge of town, which can often provide the best fishing in the area, depending on conditions. This area of Rapid creek is a catch-and-release only. The average fish is in the 15 to 16-inch range.
Today we start with emerger flies. Insects like emergers (nymphs) are important components of a fish’s diet, because David notices fish are rising on the surface. Considering that they emerge from the bottom and float to the surface, these emerging insects are vulnerable, basically very easy for fish to catch! Emerger flies since they resemble caddisflies, mayflies, and midges (Tungsten Bead Zebra Midge & bubble back midge) are best for this morning bite. David quickly gets us started with a double dry fly rig (with indicator) using roll casts to target the deeper pools.
Fish ON!!
Immediately on the third cast of the day, I catch a fair sized rainbow trout. A reasonably sized brown trout soon follows it. Steadily moving upstream, David adds a little weight to the line and Barry latches onto his first trout of the day. I can’t believe that we are catching some good-sized trout in a river running through town. Where the river narrows, Barry cast a few times, missing a few fish before getting a tangle in the fly line. David asked me to fish in the same area and with just two casts, I hooked a big trout. David talked me through playing the fish and letting him tire himself out. He netted my first cutthroat trout, a giant for me! This was the highlight of the entire trip. Any other fish was just icing on the cake.
Canyon Lake Park Fishing
Throughout the city, the best public access to the creek is within the parks system, where you can catch spirited brown trout. After having a late lunch, David determined we should switch it up and use a dry fly (Dry Adams Fly, or Blooms Parachute Hopper)using a hopper dropper rig. This can be excellent as trout can feed on either a surface dry fly or a trailing emerger fly with this pattern.
We got started fishing at the spillway just below the dam outlet at Canyon Lake Park. Trout become trapped just above the small waterfall, unable to get past the higher spillway falls. The water was so clear we could see many trout in the shallow spillway. Tying the flies on a single rod, we took turns fishing with only the one rod. This was a pattern we had not fished before. We took turns watching the fly for any potential strikes, setting the hook we each caught fish throughout the rest of the afternoon.
It was a beautiful day watching the mother duck with ducklings and a mule deer fording across the creek in front of us. Alas, the day drew to an end. The learning experience today was so valuable, helping us fish other nearby creeks and lakes during our stay in South Dakota. We cannot say enough about how spectacular our time on the water with David-Dakota Anglers & Outfitters is the guide of choice in the Black hills.
Note: Remember to bring plenty of water and snacks.
Beautiful Spearfish Canyon Streams in the Black Hills
Spearfish Creek in Spearfish Canyon is the most scenic fishery in the Black Hills. The creek boasts a very large, self-sustaining rainbow trout population. A premier spot to fly-fish this blue ribbon stream is challenging, to say the least. We had to add a tungsten weight to reach the deeper pools and rushing waters. Nymph rigs work really well. The hearty appetite of these fish making it easy to hook a good size rainbow.
Some flies we tied were perdigons in Olive, Purple, and Blue, Optic Nerves, Skinny Jigs, and Soft Spots are good lead flies in 14-16. Good droppers include Bloom’s Flying Zebras in purple and red, Green Weenies, Serendipities, small Pheasant Tails, and various other small midge patterns in 18-22. Blue-Winged Olive, Parachute Adams, Using these we teased a few averaged sized brown trout from the pools and riffles. We landed a lot and lost a lot. Even if you don’t catch fish here, you can’t beat the scenery. The surrounding high-walled canyon is breathtaking!
Box Elder Creek-Nemo, South Dakota
Another wonderful creek for fishing was near our Airbnb in Nemo. Steamboat Rock Picnic ground lies downstream of Nemo within the Black Hills National Forest. Here we could easily access Box Elder Creek casting from the bank. There are significant numbers of stocked and wild brown and rainbow trout in Box Elder Creek, as well as Brook Trout. We spent a few evenings near our cabin fishing with a Dry Adams Fly and assorted trout spinners. There was no better venue for the last remaining hours of the day. Targeting small riffles and eddies, we caught only a few 10-12-inch trout.
Excellent Black Hills Fishing French Creek in Custer State Park
The upper portion of French Creek that winds its way through Custer State Park into Stockade Lake is an excellent place for novice anglers. Specifically, the tailwaters can be an ideal location to find hungry trout. Using tungsten jig, nymphs with dropper patterns will be effective.
A12-mile trail crisscrosses the lower portion of the creek. You will get wet your hiking boots wet wish we had our wade boots. Recommend wearing long pants to avoid the ticks and poison ivy on the trail. Keep a wayward eye for bison that frequent the French Creek Natural Area. Give them a wide berth. Venturing only a short distance from the road, we found good dry fly opportunities in the morning with midge hatches, followed by Baetis hatches in the afternoon.
Other creeks like Grace Coolidge Creek have phenomenal trout fishing in the small man-made dam sections. Easy to access from the trail that runs from the campground to Center Lake.
Sylvan Lake Custer State Park
Another trip-worthy destination is the 17-acre Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park. Long considered the crown jewel of the park, because of its proximity to the scenic Needles highway. Highly recognized for its appearance in “National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks annually stocks the lake with trout. You can fish the lake from the1.1-mile shoreline trail that loops around the lake or rent a kayak. Small barbless spinners worked best for us. The other lakes in the state park worth exploring for fly-fishing are Bismarck, Center, Legion and Stockade lakes. All of these streams and lakes in Custer State Park have stocked populations of trout.
Pactoral Reservoirs
In the Black Hills National Forest, this reservoir is only 30 minutes from Rapid City. The lake is accessible from Highway 385 between Lead/Deadwood and Keystone or Hill City. It boasts 14 miles of shoreline and 150 foot depths on 800 acres, making it the largest and deepest reservoir in the Black Hills. Veteran Point Picnic Area is along a portion of Pactola Reservoir’s shoreline. There is a 0.75-mile paved trail winds among ponderosa pines. Offering free parking with easy fishing access.
The blue-green water is absolutely spectacular, especially at sunset. We spent an evening scrambling on the shoreline outcroppings and casting from the fishing bridge. Using small spinners, small trout followed the lure however, the only thing we caught was rock bass. They still count! We spotted a larger bass cruising the shoreline. Dang, she would not bite.
Honorable Mention to Sheridan Lake
We would pass by the lake most days on our return trip to the parks. On a rainy afternoon, we stopped at the southern unit to cast a line. In the Black Hills National Forest, the shallow 375 acre lake has many access points for fishing. The tailwater to Spring Creek was a tad mucky, so we tried our luck at the swim and fishing pier area on the north side of the lake. Sheridan Lake’s surrounding area is peaceful, looking at the rugged hills. Few fish on our small spinners, but a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.
Final Thoughts
The Black Hills are best known for their proximity to Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, and the Badlands. These hills have many quality fishing opportunities. Although anytime of year here has great fly-fishing, we found that the spring offered us some wonderful moments. Dakota Angler & Outfitter have guides that are happy to take people out regardless of your level of fly-fishing experience. From novice to expert seasoned anglers, there’s something to offer for everyone. We highly recommend booking your Black Hills guided fly-fishing trip today!
What do you think? Are you planning a visit to the Black Hills soon? Share your comments with us!
