Black Hills Fishing Report April 30th 2020

Sorry for the delay since out last report! We have been busy in the shop and will be reopening to in store sales shortly. We hope to back open in a limited capacity this coming Saturday May 2nd. More details on that soon!

As for the fishing, it has been quite good. Several streams have come up in flow even further since our last report. Rapid Creek is the highest. Flows out of Pactola are about 250-275. That means you have to search for softer edges and longer runs to find water that is easy to fish. Mostly a nymph and streamer game for now. The lake is fairly full and the inflows at Silver City are fairly high so it might be a bit before stream flows on Rapid Creek come down much.

Spring Creek is higher than it was a couple weeks ago but fishing well. Good flows but not too high. Some mayflies and stoneflies are hatching as well as tons of midges. Not seeing many fish up top, but some dry fly fishing can be had. Mostly nymph fishing with san juan worms, pat's rubber legs stones, jig prince nymphs, and jig hare's ear nymphs.

Not much of a report on castle creek yet, but it will be much more accessible than our last report. Above Deerfield will pick up soon if it isn't fishing well already. It will be off color due to melting snow. Below Deerfield is a tad high but fishable. Worth fishing up there due to fewer people willing to travel up there to fish.

Spearfish is quite high due to snowmelt. This will be challenging to fish in many places due to the speed of the current and steep gradient. Might be best to check other streams until Spearfish drops below 125 cfs, it is currently around 250-290 cfs.
Pactola Reservoir has been a popular destination and is fishing well. Most anglers are fishing the coves from shore with a variety of leech and woolly bugger patterns. A nymph suspended under an indicator will work as well. The fish are nice sized and willing to eat a variety of flies.

French Creek is fishing well in Custer State Park. Some caddis, mayflies, and smaller stoneflies hatching, but as with Spring Creek the number of fish rising is limited. Nymph fishing with prince nymphs, pheasant tail nymphs, and hare's ear nymphs is the best bet. You will need a bit of weight to get down to the fish.

East of Rapid City bass fishing and pike fishing is picking up steam on prairie reservoirs and dams. Fish minnow imitations and leech patterns for the bass. Large minnow flies and pike bunnies are the best for the pike. Pactola and Sheridan Lake should be turning on for pike any time. Water temps will be increasing with the high temps late this week.

Give us a shot at the shop 605-341-2450 with any questions or shoot us an email at dakotaflyangler@gmail.com