Black Hills Fishing Report - 4/25/2022
Fishing has been solid throughout the Black Hills, and hopefully we will see a bump in flows after the moisture we received last weekend. Spearfish Creek will most likely see the biggest jump in flows, but Rapid Creek will hopefully come up above Silver City and in turn the flows below Pactola will see a bump as well.
Rapid Creek above Pactola has been pretty dirty, and will most likely come up with the snowmelt over the next few days. You could catch some fish on big flies like worms and mop flies, but there are probably better options to fish until the water clears up a little bit.
Rapid Creek below Pactola is low, but there can be some good fishing at times. With the low flows most of the fish will be stacked up in the deeper holes, but you can find a few fish in the shallower runs when the bug activity is higher. Nymph fishing will pick up the most fish, with pretty standard fare working well. Hunchback Scuds, Rainbow Czech Nymphs, Soft Spots, and larger Perdigons are good lead flies in size 12-16. Good droppers include Flashback Pheasant Tails, Two Bit Hookers, Split Back Baetis, Frenchies, and Slim Shadies in size 18-22. Nymphing in the deep holes will produce the most action - if you can find somewhere that's deep with a little more current the fish can be quite a bit less picky than in the really slow water. There are some BWOs hatching some days, and the fish will be up on them on cloudier, cooler days. CDC Thorax Duns, F Flies, Students, and Sparkle Duns in size 16-18 are good bets. Fishing is good all the way to Placerville, but the fishing will get quite a bit better if the flows come up into the 50-60 cfs range.
Rapid Creek in town has been fishing excellent. Nymph fishing is good all day, and there are some midges and BWOs hatching midday as well. A wide variety of nymphs are working well - olive, purple, and blue Perdigons, Optic Nerves, Czech Princesses, French Dips, Assassins, Jig Pheasant Tails, and a variety of smaller midge patterns are all good bets. There are still lots of fish in the holes, but quite a few fish have moved into the shallower runs and riffles as well. Dry droppers are a good way to fish the in between water - try a Klinkhammer, Micro Chubby, or small Hippie Stomper for the dry in size 12-16. You'll pick up most of the fish on nymphs, but you'll get a surprising number of fish to come up and eat the big dry as well. Midges and BWOs are hatching sporadically throughout the day from 10-3 or so. F Flies, Students, Morgan's Midges, Eric's Midges, and Sparkle Duns are good bets for rising fish.
Spearfish Creek is fishing really well. Nymph fishing will be your best bet both in town and in the canyon. Various jig patterns have been working well - Skinny Jigs in olive and brown, Perdigons, French Dips, Zebra Midges, Walt's Worms, Assassins, and Optic Nerves are good bets in size 14-18. The flows will likely come up in the next week or so, so larger flies will be better options if the flows get over 100 cfs. Pat's Rubber Legs, tungsten worms, Mop Flies, and the same jig flies as above in larger sizes will work well. The water has warmed up a bit over the past couple weeks, and a lot of the fish have moved into the shallower runs and riffles in addition to the holes, so don't hesitate to fish everything.
Castle Creek below Deerfield is starting to fish well, and there are a few BWOs hatching as well. Dry Dropper rigs will be your best bet on Castle - Klinkhammers, User Friendlies, Micro Chubbies, and Parachute Ants are good bets in size 12-14 for the dry. Nymphs that are working include Skinny Jigs, Zebra Midges, Tung Teasers, Slim Shadies, and Perdigons in olive or purple. The water is fairly low, so the fish are stacked up in the deeper holes and runs.
Fishing has been solid, and will get even better once the flows come up a bit. Give us a call or swing by for the latest update or hot flies, or to book a day with one of our guides!