Black Hills Fishing Report May 25th 2022
Happy Memorial Day Weekend, almost. This should be a great weekend to get out and fish. It's going to be hot on Friday, with a high around 90! Other than that the forecast looks to be near normal- highs in the low to mid-70s with chances of showers and thunderstorms. Streams are in good shape and have been dropping slightly over the past week.
Rapid Creek is fishing well above Pactola. Flows have come down to around 58 cfs as of this report. Water is still slightly off-color, but it almost always is around Silver City. Fishing above the lake will be best with nymphs. Although there might be some dry fly opportunities later in the afternoon. Larger nymphs will work here. Size 12-14 bead heads, preferably tungsten to get down. Try Tung Teasers, Tungsten Jig Nymphs (PTs, Princes, and Hare's Ears), and worm patterns.
Rapid Creek below Pactola has been a bit of a mixed bag. Dry fly fishing has been decent below Pactola later in the morning and into the afternoon. Nymphing has been decent there too. Fishing in town has been a bit slow in the mornings but picks up in the afternoon. Slightly warmer weather might help the fishing in town. In town, the fish have moved around a bit as the flows have come up. Try fishing higher in the runs and riffles. Don't overlook the faster shallower water. Nymphing will produce the most action, as it usually does. But there are some caddis showing up and Blue Winged Olives continue to hatch. Dry dropper rigs with Chubby Chernobyls and a tungsten nymph help cover the shallower water.
Castle Creek is fishing well below Deerfield Reservoir. Good mix of browns and brookies and plenty of water to fish. This is a nice time to fish below the lake and the flows are near perfect. Expect some hatches of Blue Winged Olives starting mid-morning. Fishing above Deerfield has been slow so far. There are plenty of suckers spawning above the lake, but not much action on the trout side of things just yet. Rainbow trout should move up out of the lake soon to feed on the sucker spawn.
Spearfish Creek fished well over the past few days. Nymphing the pockets, edges, and seams with tightline techniques is very effective. Tungsten nymphs in sizes 14-18 are working (jig assasins, perdigons, and jig halos), adjust the size to suit the speed of water you are fishing. Bigger flies for the fastest water, and scale down for slower sections. Dry dropper rigs could be used in the riffles. A few fish are looking up. Some Baetis hatching later in the day.
Lakes are going to get busy for the weekend. Might be best to get out early and be done by 10am. Pactola is still producing some nice rainbows. Deerfield will be a bit quieter and have more room to spread out. Fishing is best with a float tube or pontoon on Deerfield. Panfish bite has been good on Sheridan Lake with some opportunities for trout as well. Sheridan also fishes better with from a boat or float tube.
Swing by the shop for up-to-date conditions and fly recommendations.