Black Hills Fishing Report - 9/15/2020
Other than the snow has melted and we're back to pretty normal temperatures, the fishing has stayed pretty much the same since our last report. There's good opportunities for terrestrial fishing on most area streams, and the nymph fishing has been solid pretty much everywhere.
Rapid Creek above Pactola has been fishing well, and should be clearing up nicely from the snowmelt last week. It's still a little green/gray, but the further upstream you get the better fishing you'll find. Hopper/Dropper rigs will cover pretty much all of the water unless you're fishing a really deep pool. Fat Franks, Micro Chubbies, Morrish Hoppers, and Hippie Stompers will work well for the dry fly. Try a perdigon, Mic Drop, Skinny Jig, Assassin, Jig Hare's Ear, or Jig Prince Nymph in size 14-16 for the nymph. It seems like the further upstream you get the more willing the fish become, so don't be afraid to put in a little walk before you start fishing. Fishing has been solid all the way past Rochford, so don't hesitate to try somewhere new!
Rapid Creek below Pactola has been fishing decent, but can be really good in the afternoon when the PMDs start hatching. The nymph fishing in the catch and release area can be spotty in the morning, but you can get some nice fish if you're persistent. PMD nymphs will be your best bet - Split Back PMDs, Barr's Emergers, Bruised PMDs, and Flashback Pheasant Tails are all good bets in size 16-20. Usually the adults start hatching around noon, and the fish can be on them throughout the remainder of the day. Sparkle Duns, Brook's Sprout Emergers, F Flies, CDC Comparaduns, and Parachute PMDs can all work. Size 16-18 seems to be the best. The fishing from the catch and release area downstream to town has been solid as well. Not many big fish, but lots of average sized browns that are tons of fun - the same flies as above Pactola will work great.
Rapid Creek in town has been great most days, and there's still a lot of fish that are willing to eat hoppers and other terrestrials. Micro Franks, Morrish Hoppers, Micro Chubbies, and various beetle and ant patterns are good bets. A lot of the fish that are willing to eat the dry are within inches of the bank, so don't hesitate to get it tight to the grass. Nymph fishing has been really good as well, and the fish will eat a wide variety of patterns. Perdigons, Mic Drops, Jig Pheasant Tails, Optic Nerves, Assassins, Skinny Jigs, and Jig Hare's Ears are good bets in 14-16. We haven't seen many numbers of craneflies yet, but hopefully they'll show up in the next week or so.
Spearfish Creek has been fishing very well over the past week. Nymph fishing will pick up the most fish, but there's some opportunities for some terrestrial fishing as well as a few BWOs in the afternoons. For nymphs, try perdigons, Optic Nerves, Assassins, Peacock Jigs, Skinny Jigs, Tung Teasers, and Jig Pheasant Tails. Good hoppers are similar to elsewhere - Cloud Hoppers, Morrish Hoppers, Micro Chubbies, and Bloom's Parachute Hoppers and Ants are good bets. The further downstream you get the more consistent the hopper fishing is, but there's plenty of fish in the canyon that are more than willing to come up to smash a well placed hopper. If there's Blue Winged Olives around, you can do well with CDC Thorax Duns, Brook's Sprouts, F Flies, Students, and Parachute BWOs are good bets. Typically you'll start seeing BWOs in the early to mid afternoon and they'll hatch pretty well throughout the remainder of the day.
Castle Creek has been fishing really well, and the hopper fishing has been solid even with the cold weather last week. Dave's Hoppers, Parachute Hoppers, Morrish Hoppers, and a wide variety of others will all work really well in size 10-14. The nymph fishing has been solid as well, and the fish typically aren't too particular - the same flies as Rapid and Spearfish will work well. There's a decent Blue Winged Olive hatch as well that should keep getting better over the coming weeks.
Fishing has been solid! Swing by the shop or give us a call for all your Black Hills Fly Fishing needs.