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Post by alewishus on Jul 28, 2019 20:29:01 GMT -6
Any tips for fishing around Rapid City SD? Meeting a friend in that area in about a week. No boat or float. Thanks. A.
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Post by lurker1818 on Jul 29, 2019 6:41:05 GMT -6
I wish I could help out, I have spent several weeks at a time down in that area, driving by the very fishy looking water, and have never tried it. It is on the to do list for sure, starting there and heading to Billings, Bowsman, and Great Falls Montana sure looks like a lot of very fishable water just on the side of the highway.
Now are there any fish there, I couldn't tell you.
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Post by alewishus on Jul 30, 2019 19:27:22 GMT -6
Thanks. I guess I'll find out.
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Post by stegenevieve on Aug 2, 2019 21:10:29 GMT -6
Hey, lots of places in the Black Hills are reputed good spots. I've fished the Spearfish Canyon from Cheyenne Junction all the way down to the Town of Spearfish before, lots of little trout. There is a small man-made pond / low weir right next to the road (ALT 14) that is stocked with larger trout. I've seen plenty of nice fish in that little pond...but check the regulations on that one first.
The Rapid Canyon is supposed to be good, too. Same for the Pactola reservoir...although I've only seen people fishing those spots, never tried them myself...
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Post by stegenevieve on Aug 2, 2019 22:01:24 GMT -6
I wish I could help out, I have spent several weeks at a time down in that area, driving by the very fishy looking water, and have never tried it. It is on the to do list for sure, starting there and heading to Billings, Bowsman, and Great Falls Montana sure looks like a lot of very fishable water just on the side of the highway. Now are there any fish there, I couldn't tell you. There are some damned good Blue Water trout streams in that part of Montana. First, get a copy of Delorme Atlas and Gazeteer Montana map (book). It shows fishing access points and even the most crude back country roads, plus rivers and creeks, lakes and reservoirs, BLM, NFS, First Nation, and other lands...The most highly rated trout river is the Bighorn just downstream of the Bighorn Reservoir, southeast of Billings. I was there in 2010, trout counts were over 7000 fish per mile, but there were nearly as many anglers, too...but I've had good trout and mountain whitefish fishing on the Yellowstone River all the way from Gardiner down to Columbus, MT. Central and western Montana makes it tough to pick where you want to go....so much to choose from. Georgetown Lake is awesome if you have a boat, kayak, canoe, etc...some big trout in there. Go in the evening. Another favorite of mine is Rock Creek southeast of Missoula for wade fishing...but the summer heat can put a real damper on fish activity in July and August in some places. I've never had much luck on the Blackfoot (from "A River runs Through It" fame). The Clark Fork from Silver Bow all the way to Paradise, especially in the canyon sections and again downstream from St. Regis, has always been worth stopping at numerous locations. I caught my first cut throat trout and mountain whitefish in the Clark Fork at Beaverhill State Park. I've heard the Big Hole river is worth planning your entire fishing vacation around - a float trip there is on my to do list. The Galatin River can be good, too, especially the part in far western Yellowstone National Park (you need a park fishing licence) - just be careful as there are many grizzly bears in that area...and they can be lurking behind the brush along the bank out of sight until you pop out onto the river bank and come near face to face with one...ask me how I know this...
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Post by RickL on Aug 10, 2019 10:57:03 GMT -6
It has been a while since I have been down there but my favourite stream to fish was Castle creek. It had meadow, canyon, rough and tumble waters. Not a very big stream but I usually had it all to myself back then (2000 ish). The Pactola tailrace was reputed to have big fish but I never really went there as I preferred the backwoods. Deerfield Lake has Castle Creek flow in as a small meadow stream that was quite good for smaller trout and the tailrace had a largeish pool with some nice fish. The lake itself was teeming with trout and quite fishable from shore. Good luck. Loved it there.
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Post by mike on Aug 12, 2019 10:48:12 GMT -6
Like most of the previous replies, it has been a long time since I was in the Black Hills, but it is full of lovely small trout streams. I did encounter sizeable browns below Pactola in Rapid Creek. I also recall that the headwaters of Spearfish were crystal clear, cold and full of small browns. Also, French Creek in the Custer Park had some decent fish. There are a couple of small reseroirs down that way that might be fun in a float tube or small boat. Good luck and share some pics with us.
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Post by wilf on Sept 6, 2019 10:17:28 GMT -6
The town of Spearfish and the canyon are well worth the trip down from southern MB on a nice fall or spring weekend. Fished the creek from bridal veil falls south almost to Savoy on a climbing trip in April and had lots of fun on little Browns and ~14" rainbows. Lots of cheap camping and beer in Spearfish proper.
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