Every year, we explore new fisheries and fly shops during Fly Shop Tour. The goal is to immerse ourselves in the fisheries, culture, and community these places have to offer. For season 4 of Fly Shop Tour, we headed to the Midwest, an area often overlooked by anglers but ripe with opportunity. Our first stop was South Dakota, a state more synonymous with Presidential statues and upland hunting than trout. But nestled in South Dakota are the Black Hills, an isolated mountain range that juts out from the Great Plains. While the epic scenery is a welcome sight, we came here looking for trout. What we found was a unique fishery, overlooked by most.
Black Hills Fisheries
When you think of South Dakota, the last thing you think of is trout streams. The Black Hills, however, are riddled with fishy water. The landscape consists of an abundance of reservoirs, lakes, and beaver ponds. These reservoirs also feed several streams, creating year-round tailwater fisheries. In addition, mountain streams, spring creeks, and freestone rivers are a welcome sight for small stream fanatics. The diversity and amount of water really offer anglers just about any trout fishing opportunity. From small stream dry flies to stripping streamers on big reservoirs, the Black Hills has it all.
Hatches in the Black Hills
The Black Hills various stream types are conducive to a number of hatches. While you won’t find world-class bug life like on Western tailwaters, you will find a good mix of mayflies and caddis. Common hatches include baetis, caddis, pale morning duns, and little yellow stone flies, but the best dry fly fishing is terrestrials. Every summer, this region sees some epic hopper hatches. Fishing big foam bugs to stream edges can elicit some incredible takes.
Fly Fishing the Black Hills
Fly fishing in the Black Hills offers anglers an abundance of water with relatively low pressure. Expect to see few, if any, anglers out on the water, and when you do, know there are ample other areas to fish.
Small Stream Paradise
The mix of freestones and spring creeks offers small stream anglers everything they could ask for. The most common way to fish these streams is with a light rod, typically a 3- or 4-wt, and a hopper dropper setup. Brown trout are the most common trout, but certain watersheds hold healthy numbers of brook and rainbow trout.
We experienced this firsthand, on the Fly Shop Tour, wading small water in search of the resident brown trout. Close-quarters casting and staying mobile are the name of the game. We targeted likely areas such as pools and runs, before wading upriver in search of the next fishy area. While we didn’t catch any giants while creek hopping, the combination of scenery and visual fishing is more than enough to make up for it.
Tailwaters
When most anglers think of tailwaters, images of large rivers and drift boats come to mind. In South Dakota, it’s the opposite. Many of the tailwaters in this region are small streams best accessed on foot. But don’t let their size fool you, these are still tailwaters and can be extremely technical.
The fish in these stretches grow big, and the gin-clear water makes them wary. We fished light 6x tippet, often times sightfishing to a particular fish in the clear water. That said, big fish and light tippets don’t always mix. Watch your hooksets, as we found out the hard way, breaking off one too many nice fish.
A Hidden Gem
South Dakota and the Black Hills really are a hidden gem in the Midwest. The nature of the landscape feels like you’re deep in the West, while the streams and fishing resemble the best the Midwest has to offer. Add to that an abundance of water, minimal pressure, and eager trout, and it’s hard to see why this place is so overlooked.
Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
Presenting Sponsors: Costa Sunglasses, Simms Fishing Products, Yeti Coolers, St. Croix, Two Hearted Ale
Supporting Sponsors: Turtlebox Audio, Chums, Benchmade Knives, Trout Routes, Rising Nets, Rocky Talkies, Adipose Boat Works, Scientific Anglers, B&W Trailer Hitches, Galvan Fly Reels
