Fishing
In the Black Hills, angling is a year-round activity, whether it’s wet flies in a spring stream or in an icy cold, yet unfrozen, Spearfish Creek.
Surrounded by the Black Hills National Forest, Spearfish Creek holds one of the finest populations of wild rainbow trout in the Black Hills. Trout in the creek are not native but were actually brought from Colorado in 1899. Clear and cold, the creek is now loaded with brown, rainbow and brook trout. Classified as a permanent cold water fishery, Spearfish Creek averages 29 feet wide, and anglers can easily find a peaceful stretch of it to enjoy by themselves.
The creek is unusual because it freezes from the bottom up instead of icing over due to the very fast rate at which the creek flows. This speed prevents ice from forming except along the bottom of the creek bed and makes year-round fishing possible.
In addition to fishing at Spearfish Creek, anglers can choose from several freshwater lakes and streams nearby to catch walleye and largemouth bass. Visitors should be sure to get a license unless they are fishing at an attraction or campground that doesn't require one.
For more information on fishing licenses, visit the South Dakota Game, Fish, & Parks website.
