Black Hills Fly Fishing Report – September 29, 2025

Fall fishing in the Black Hills is in full swing. Flows are low and clear — Rapid Creek is about 43 cfs through town and 35 cfs below Pactola — and the fish are seeing everything. Castle Creek and Spearfish Creek are also running low but remain good options. The lakes — Pactola, Sheridan, and Center — are all fishing very well right now and will only improve as October brings cooler weather.

Rapid Creek and Other Streams

Fishing is technical, but there’s plenty of opportunity if you approach it right. On smaller creeks, we like a 7.5' leader tapered down to 6X or 7X tippet. With the water this clear, presentation is everything.

Dry fly fishing has been fun. We’re still seeing tricos in the mornings, caddis in the evenings, and BWOs on cloudy afternoons. Terrestrials are hanging on thanks to the warm afternoons — hoppers, ants, and beetles will still move fish mid-day, especially on sunny stretches. We’ve also seen some larger craneflies, and trout won’t pass up a skated or twitched crane fly pattern in the riffles.

Nymphing has been steady with small tungsten flies. Perdigons, Zebra Midges, Frenchies, and Tungsten Split Case BWOs in sizes 18–20 are top producers right now. Keep rigs light and drifts clean — often a single small fly tight-lined through seams and pockets is all you need.

Lakes

The reservoirs are one of the best options at the moment. Pactola has fish cruising drop-offs and points, Sheridan has been steady along edges and structure, and Center has lots of trout thanks to recent stockings.

Fly anglers should fish an intermediate or type III sinking line with a slow strip in the top 6–12 feet of water. Woolly Buggers, Thin Mints, leeches, and small streamers all work well. Pair a leech with a trailing soft hackle or chironomid for extra hookups.

Outlook

We’re enjoying warm, sunny days and cool nights — ideal early fall fishing conditions, although we could use some cooler weather and rain! Expect BWO hatches to strengthen with the next cloudy stretch, while terrestrial and crane fly fishing will stay productive as long as the afternoons remain warm. The lakes will continue to be a highlight as fish feed aggressively into October.