Black Hills Fishing Report August 23rd 2024
Black Hills Fishing Report August 23rd 2024
The weather is warming up. Get out early! Best fishing will be at the highest elevations or beneath the reservoirs. Not much change since the previous report.
Rapid Creek
Rapid Creek is fishing decent. Get out early! Find cold water. In town (below Canyon Lake) will likely be too warm to fish this weekend. With the current conditions the prime spots are from Canyon Lake up to Pactola and above Pactola towards Rochford. Tricos are still hatching, so early morning is your best bet to capitalize on this activity. Hopper activity is increasing as well, making a hopper-dropper setup a promising approach.
Castle Creek
Below Deerfield Lake, Castle Creek has been particularly productive. Be extra cautious of your shadows and approach the stream quietly, as the fish are wary. Above the lake, the smaller waters are also yielding good results. As the weather warms, dry-dropper fishing is gaining traction. Try using ants, beetles, or your favorite attractor flies with a small dropper to cover this area effectively.
Spearfish Creek
Fishing in Spearfish Canyon remains good/excellent with cool water temperatures. Look for some caddis, smaller midges, and tiny mayflies in the afternoons. Nymphing continues to be effective, but a dry-dropper rig featuring a micro chubby or beetle pattern can also be a solid choice as temperatures rise.
Lake Fishing
Lake fishing across the Hills is still going strong. Sylvan Lake and Center Lake in Custer State Park are particularly productive. Fish are responding well to leeches, damsels, and callibaetis mayflies.
Top Flies -
Dry Flies- Elk Hair size 16-18, Foam Run Caddis size 14-18, Parachute Adams size 18-22, Micro Chubby Chernobyls size 14-18, Foam Beetles 12-18, Ant patterns 12-18 Tricos 18-22, Yellow Sally’s 14-16 Olive Klinkhammer 12-14
Nymphs- Hot Tag Hares ear 14-18’s, Perdigons Blue or Green size 14-20, waltz worms, zebra midges, prince nymphs,
