Black Hills Fishing Report August 7th 2021
The best fishing this week is on the core Black Hills streams of Rapid, Castle, and Spearfish Creeks.
Rapid Creek- Cooler night have helped stream temperatures through the town of Rapid City. Early Morning through mid-morning offers good fishing on the stretch from Canyon Lake down to Founders Park. Tan Caddis and Trico hatches have fish looking up. Below Pactola reservoir the water temps are much colder than in town. Hatches of Blue Winged Olives and Pale Morning Duns start mid day below the dam. Terrestrial patterns such as beetles, crickets, ants, and hoppers are great searching patterns. Nymph fishing the deeper pools can be quite productive. Above Pactola near silver City tricos are hatching early in the morning providing some dry fly activity.
Castle Creek- Good fishing below Deerfield Reservoir. A variety of hatches throughout the day and terrestrials offer good dry fly opportunities. Fish can be a bit spooky below the dam; keep a low profile and use stealth to your advantage. Dry dropper rigs are an excellent option on Castle Creek. Above Deerfield offers great brookie fishing- bring light tackle for this section. It is perfect water for a 2 weight rod.
Spearfish Creek is fishing well in the Canyon and through town. Later summer fishing on spearfish creek can require lighter tippets and smaller flies. The most aggressive fish will be in the pocket water. Covering water and fishing the quick pockets is very productive. Fish in the bigger runs and pools require a bit of finesse. Have a variety of small mayfly and midge droppers for the runs and pools. The hopper bite is picking up on the lower sections of Spearfish Creek.
Cooler nighttime temperatures will help lake fishing conditions. Deerfield Reservoir is an excellent option for lake fishing. There are small Rock Bass that are a perennial annoyance there; fish the deeper water away from the inlet and there are great opportunities to find fish. Deerfield is a no-wake lake, so it is very quiet; perfect for float tubing or kayaking.
