Review
Intro
Spearfish Creek in the Black Hills offers year round fly fishing, along with a number of other outdoor recreation opportunities. Incredible scenery, waterfalls, hiking, climbing, camping, and fishing are all available within minutes of one another in this deep limestone canyon tucked into the northern hills of Black Hills National Forest.
What Makes It Great
Even though trout are not native to the cold water streams of the Black Hills, they were introduced from Colorado in 1899, and several populations have become naturally self sustaining from year to year. Now, Spearfish Creek is known for plentiful brown, rainbow, and brook trout. The creek itself is about 29 feet wide, and freezes from the bottom up, making it accessible and fishable year round. There are many good fishing spots here, but the best areas are near Spearfish Canyon.
Spearfish Creek combines this abundance of trout with easy access, incredible scenery in Spearfish Canyon, and the wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities into one beautiful package. Spending a weekend fishing, camping, hiking, and sight seeing here can make for a great escape into the wilderness, but with the convenience of nearby towns.
Who is Going to Love It
Serious anglers will like the varying conditions and types of fishing on the creek. Stretches of rapids, lazy ponds and pools, and dams offer a variety of fishing experiences. Because of the flow rate of the creek it also doesn't freeze in the winter and reliable midge hatches occur on warm, winter days, making it accessible year round. While the creek is primarily known for its trout, there are freshwater lakes and streams nearby where you can find walleye and largemouth bass.
Less experienced fisherman or those just looking to get some quick casts in will love the scenery and accessibility here and the ability to combine it with some of the other activities in the canyon.
Directions, Parking, & Regulations
From either I-90 in the town of Spearfish, or South Dakota 385 coming up from the south: Follow signs for South Dakota 14A or the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. Regular parking areas/ pull offs/ camping and picnic areas offer parking and access to the creek as it parallels the road.
There are U.S. Forest Service campgrounds available (for a fee), including both primitive sites and camper spots.
Lodging is also available in Spearfish.
