Black Hills Area Fishing Report
The weather has given reason to want to get out and wet a line over the last week, but the constant storms moving through the area lately, have made the proposition a bit more of a guessing game as to where inclement weather may be headed when one heads out.
But with the warming waters in the area, the bite has improved substantially on many lakes. If you're willing to risk going out with the unpredictable weather we've been having, here's some locations to check out:
The walleye lakes of Angostura and Belle Fourche Reservoirs are seeing different patterns from each other. The bite is still a bit slow on Angostura, with short fish being caught most often. The water is clearing up though from the chocolate milk stain it has been over the last month, which should improve the walleye bite.
In the meantime, there is a good smallmouth bite happening with worms, either real or plastic, being the preferred bait of choice. Belle Fourche is seeing a good walleye bite with limits occurring regularly. Night crawlers are working best on Lindy rigs or bouncers, but a minnow and jig is also finding success in the Fruitdale and Gaden's Point areas.
On Pactola, the boat launches have finally reopened after being submerged for the better part of the last month due to all the rain that the area was hit in May. New reports should start coming in, but while the lake was over-filled, shore fishermen reported catches of rainbow trout on the southern shorelines on silver or gold spoons while there was some pike activity in the Jenny Gulch area.
Stockade Lake has been a bit on the slow side, but there have been catches of bass and pike reported on spinnerbaits along drops and weed lines as well as some bluegill and crappie action on the east and south sides of the lake. Deerfield is seeing an uptick in perch activity using jigs and worms worked over in 15-20 feet of water and some rainbow activity as well on spinners and spoons.
On the trout lakes (Sylvan, Center, Lakota, Roubaix, Horsethief), recent stockings over the last couple of months have led to large numbers of fish being caught from the shores on worms, salmon eggs, and spoons as the tourist season has picked up.
These are good locations to bring the kids to as they should be able to get into some fighting action on these lakes. And recent catches of catfish on New Underwood Dam, including some nice 5-8 pounders, on stink baits have been reported as well as some surprising walleye and pike action coming out of Bear Butte Dam.
If you're willing to chance the frequent storms, there's a good chance of seeing some fishing action right now in the area. Just bring your raincoat!
