Black Hills Fishing Report - 1/31/2022

We've had some great weather over the past week to get out and do some fishing, and later this week and this weekend look to be nice as well. The fishing has been solid on Rapid Creek and Spearfish Creek, and we should start seeing some more consistent dry fly fishing in the coming weeks as well.

Rapid Creek below Pactola is fishing well and is pretty low at 30cfs. Most of the fish will be stacked up in the deeper, slower runs. Nymphing will definitely be the most productive way to catch fish, but there are some limited dry fly fishing opportunities some days as well. Nymph fishing with pretty standard winter fare is your best bet - Boat Anchor Scuds, Mop Flies, Hunchback Scuds, and Soft Spots are good lead flies in 12-14. Dropper patterns that are working well are mostly midge patterns - Flying Zebras, Green Weenies, UV Midges, WD-40s, and Zebra Midges in Red, Purple, Black, and Tan are good bets in size 18-22. The best fishing will be during the warmest part of the day from 11-3. Fishing is good from Placerville up to the dam.

Rapid Creek in town has been fishing very well, and is seeing some good midge hatches on calm days. Most of the dry fly activity has been from 11-2, and there are good numbers of fish up in the slower runs. Rusty Spinners, Morgan's Midges, Sipper Midges, Eric's Midges, and Griffith's Gnats in size 18-22 are good bets. 6X tippet will get you more bites, and if the fish are picky don't hesitate to drop down to 7X. Nymph fishing has been good with small midge larvae patterns. Flying Zebras and Green Weenies are good bets, as well as small Perdigons and Skinny Jigs. BWO hatches should start within the next couple of weeks as well, which can be some of the most fun dry fly fishing of the year. Fishing has been the best from Founders Park upstream to Canyon Lake.

Spearfish Creek is fishing well both in the canyon and through town. The nymph fishing has been very good, and the fish have been more active with the longer days. Perdigons in Olive, Purple, and Blue, Optic Nerves, Skinny Jigs, and Soft Spots are good lead flies in 14-16. Good droppers include Bloom's Flying Zebras in purple and red, Green Weenies, Serendipities, small Pheasant Tails, and various other small midge patterns in 18-22. Most of the fish will be in the middle of the run, but with the longer days some of the fish will push up into the faster riffles. As with Rapid Creek, the BWO hatch should start up in the next couple of weeks as well.

Sand Creek and Crow Creek are starting to fish well, and will start to have some great dry fly fishing by mid-February. Sand Creek in particular has a fantastic Blue Winged Olive hatch during February into March. If you don't see much for rising fish, the same nymphs as Spearfish Creek will work well.

Fishing has been excellent lately, particularly for late winter. Swing by the shop or give us a call for the latest info or hot flies!