The up and down weather has been affecting everything here in the Hills, from fishing to the gardening seasons. From a high of 70 to snow and mid 30s a few days later, the unpredictable weather has been keeping most fish bites at bay, save for the trout bite, which after a number of locations in the Hills received fresh stockings, is going great. When the weather is cooperating, it’s been a great time to put kids on some great bites! With conditions ever changing as is the norm this time of year in the Hills, here’s the current fishing report:
The walleye bite is inconsistent at best on both Angostura and Belle Fourche Reservoirs. A two-day tournament at Angy last weekend saw nearly half of the participating teams not bring in a single fish to weigh in either day. Conditions are not much better up on Belle Fourche, though the evening bite is significantly better than at any time of the day, particularly for shore fishermen and women at the dam. Pitching jigs with live bait or plastics is what’s catching what’s biting currently as the water temps are still below 50 degrees.
The Hills lakes have been pretty quiet fishing-wise save for those looking to take advantage of the rainbow bite. The southern shores and bays at Pactola Reservoir have been busy with shore fishermen trying to catch some good sized rainbows that are prowling the area. A few lakers are being caught on the water as well. Sheridan Lake has been mostly quiet save for a few trout showing up, but once the water starts warming, the pike bite should start picking up in the bays, particularly the Hwy 385 bay. Stockade is seeing mostly small bluegills caught from shore at present with not much pike or bass activity reported. Up at Deerfield, the perch are always biting, but size has been the issue. Some trout are also being caught as well.
The big activity is currently happening at the majority of the trout lakes in the area. Recent stockings at the various smaller lakes is producing a plethora of great trout action. Sunday Gulch, Horsethief, Dalton, Bismarck, and Iron Creek Lakes are seeing very good bites on a variety of presentations and it’s a great time to get kids out on some fishing action before the fish wise up and stop hitting most presentations. If you’re interested in hearing other fishing reports from the Black Hills region, please contact Scott Olson at dr.auger81@hotmail.com, through Facebook or Instagram, or through his website, drauger81.wixsite.com/drauger81.