Custer State Park Trout Fishing

[SpitnArgueDuckClub*]

Hello All, can anyone offer any advice on trout fishing in the Custer State Park Area? My family of four will be going there in June to vacation for the week and would like to take spinning rods along to fish for trout. Any advice on area's to check out or what lures to use would be greatly appreciated. Also how about the use of worms / live bait? Is that prohibited at all? Thanks in advance!!!

[OutdoorAddictx]

In June for rainbows, browns, tigers, and brookies center lake is good. krocadile spoons,power bait floated about 2 feet off the bottom works extreamly good as well. I prefer the rainbow color or the yellow colored PB. Legion, Bismark and all the streams throughout the park also hold decent trout. in the streams a 3g blue fox in silver or gold color knocks em dead. You can use worms salmon eggs ect.. in all lakes in the park use of minnows is prohibited exept in stockade. Stockade has good panfish pike small and largemouth bass, and a few big trout.

[SpitnArgueDuckClub*]

Thanks for the reply!!!

[smeese]

Any of these close to the Custer area?

[OutdoorAddictx]

smeese: All of these lakes are within 10 miles of custer.

[SpitnArgueDuckClub*]

How about fishing the creeks like French? Same type of lures or is fly fishing the best option? How about fishing from shore in French creek or will we need hip boots / chest waders?

[OutdoorAddictx]

French Creek i have done a very limited amount of fly fishing but have had pretty decent results. I usually just go with grasshoppers when available on 4lb mono with just a small 12 or 14 single hook. Just let them float the top, its also pretty surprising how aggressive they are with the grasshoppers. I have had them completly clear the surface just trying to get my hopper before there buddy does. There is a ton of creek chubs in french creek, and if you do any pike fishing they work great alive or frozen for later. Mainly browns as far as trout, with the occasional brookie or rainbow. Waders would greatly increase your access but there is a fair amount of creekside parking and trails u can fish from shore.

[SpitnArgueDuckClub*]

Thanks OA!!!

[SpitnArgueDuckClub*]

Anyone have any current updates for the fishing at or around Custer State Park this spring?

[SpitnArgueDuckClub*]

Anyone have any current updates for the fishing at or around Custer State Park? We will be there in a couple of weeks, after we return I will post how we did trout fishing.

[SpitnArgueDuckClub*]

For anyone interested, we just returned from a 5 day trip to the Blackhills and while the trip was mainly a sight seeing venture for the family my 11 year old son and I were able to trout fish each morning and evening. We fished French creek and did the best on size #16 flies fished with casting bubbles on spinning gear. We drifted the flies along the cut banks, riffles and holes and were able to land mostly rainbows 29, along with 12 browns and 3 Brookies; all were released. Steve Kinsella's book was useful but maybe a bit out dated for the area's outside of the Custer Park area. The info on the streams in Custer Park were spot on though and were the best producers for us. Surprisingly most of the other fishermen were using worms, powerbait and corn and not having nearly as much luck as we were using flies. Getting up at 4am each day for the drive was tough (with all of the sight seeing later on) but having the streams all to our selves for the first two hours each morning was well worth the effort. To anyone looking for a trout fishing trip I would highly recommend the Custer State Park Area to anyone looking for a trout fishing excursion. Thanks All!!!