Black Hills Fishing Report - 9/18/2019

Fishing has been nothing short of excellent this fall, with lots of opportunities for every type of angler. There's been good streamer fishing, fishing coming up to the surface on many stretches, and nymph fishing has been productive nearly every day - no matter what you like doing, the gettin's pretty good right now! Rapid Creek from Silver City upstream has been fishing well, mostly for larger lake run rainbows. There's not a ton of fish, but the fish you'll run into are good ones. Nymph fishing has been the most productive, but you can get a few on streamers as well. Tungsten Rainbow Czechs, Tung Teasers, Worms, Rubber Legs, Optic Nerves, and various medum sized jigs in size 12-16 are good bets for nymphs. If you want to streamer fish, good bets are Rusty Trombones, Kreelexes, Lil Kims, Home Invaders, and Grinches. If you're at Silver City in the evening, there are a ton of smaller browns rising in the evenings as well - tons of fun on a lighter/fiberglass rod! Try Purple Hazes, Bloom's Caddis, Parachute Adams, and User Friendlies in 14-18. Rapid Creek below Pactola is fishing good, with a lot of smaller fish around. Nymph fishing has been the best bet for numbers of fish, and you'll run into the occasional big fish as well. The fish are pretty keyed in on Baetis nymphs, so lots of smaller, thin droppers are working well. Two Bit Hookers, Split Back BWOs, Pheasant Tails, Skinny Jigs, and T Baetis in 16-20 are good droppers. Fish them behind a big scud or worm to help get down. There's a few fish up on adult BWOs as well - CDC Thorax Duns, Parachute BWOs, and Sparkle Duns are good options if you run into some fish on the surface. Rapid Creek in town is fishing incredible right now, and should be excellent over the next month. The fishing in town is some of the best we've seen ever, and the fish are super fat and healthy. The dry fly fishing is the real star of the show in town right now, but you can get a few on nymphs if you're so inclined or like fishing the deeper holes. The cranefly and hopper fishing is absolutely lights out on Rapid Creek in town right now. Cloud Hoppers, Morrish Hoppers, Fat Franks, and Mini Chubbies are good bets for the hopper part of things - smaller flies in the 10-12 range have been working the best. For craneflies, pretty much all you need is a Fulling Mill Cranefly in Orange or Tan. If you've been skipping out on fishing in town, have a change of pace and give it a try - you'll be pleasantly surprised how good the fishing is. If you want to fish a dropper below your dry, all the standard jig nymphs and tungsten midges have been working great - Skinny Jigs, Peacock Jigs, Sweet Peas, and Assassins are all good bets in 14-16. Spearfish Creek has been solid, both in the canyon and in town. Nymph fishing has been very productive, especially in the canyon. Various patterns will work well, so don't be afraid to mix it up a bit. Killer Bugs, Sexy Walt's, Frenchies, Duracells, and Purple Pheasant Tail Jigs are good bets in size 14-16. In the faster water you can get away with a single fly below an indicator or a larger hopper for an indicator, but in the slower water you may need a smaller dropper pattern. Two Bit Hookers, Tungsten Midges, Pheasant Tails, and small Frenchies are good bets for dropper patterns. There's some good to great dry fly fishing depending on the stretch you're on as well - smaller terrestrials like User Friendlies, Parachute Ants, and Hi Viz Beetles are good bets if you're just searching along the banks. There haven't been a lot of Blue Winged Olives around yet, but typically by the end of the month the BWO hatch has picked up some serious steam - CDC Thorax Duns and Sparkle Duns are always good bets for fish eating them on the surface. Castle Creek is fishing well, with dry-droppers being the best bet. Use a small attractor dry like a Hippie Stomper or Klinkhamer for the indicator, with various small jig patterns and tungsten midges working great. As usual, fish the corners and faster water and you'll do much better than fishing the straight, slow stretches. The Brookies are pretty up there this time of year! Crow Creek and Sand Creek are fishing well, mostly with the same patterns as Spearfish Creek. There's a lot of vegetation around this late in the year, so you're mostly fishing between the weeds in most areas. Move slowly and fish methodically and you'll do well! Pike fishing has been picking up on Sheridan and Pactola, with lots of average sized fish in the 3-6 pound range from both lakes. Keyhole will be heating up over the next couple weeks as well. Medium sink lines will work well in most water - Hover/2/4 lines or a type 3 sink will keep you in the 5-10 foot strike zone. Medium sized flies in the 5-7" range will work the best, and a wide variety of colors will work well. Darker colors seem to be good bets, but adjust accordingly. Fall is some of the best pike fishing of the year! Fishing has been nothing short of excellent, and will continue to be solid throughout the fall. Give us a call or stop by for the latest conditions or hot flies!