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Fly Fish from the Rapid Creek Trailhead

Rapid City, South Dakota

Details

Distance

2 miles

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Isaac Parsons

Hike a part of the Centennial trail along Rapid Creek with great fishing opportunities, and beautiful sights. 

To get the the trailhead for Rapid Creek you must turn to the east onto Pactola Basin Road or FS road 164 when on Highway 385 crossing the Pactola Reservoir. The road down to the trailhead is steep and can be rough depending on the time of the year. Once at the trailhead there is a parking area, with a map and information of the area. No fee to park, and overnight camping is not allowed. 

From the parking lot your fishing opportunities are virtually limitless. The creek is full of brook, brown and rainbow trout, some of the trout do grow to be 24 or more inches in length, but are very picky when eating. The area is a common fishing area so the trout can be difficult to catch, but if you are up for the challenge you might be rewarded with some trophy trout. 

To get away from civilization you can follow trail #89 to the east from the parking lot which follows the creek and crosses. The farther down the creek the less the trail gets traveled and the fish are less used to people so they might be easier to catch, really depends on your skill and how the fish are biting when you're there.  

You could follow the creek all the way downstream to the small community of Johnson siding if you are up for a longer hike. So you can make this hike as long or as short as you would like. If you are planning or visiting the area plan on spending at least 2 hours so you can try your hand and rod in different bends, pools and spots on the creek.  

*The day I was taking these pictures I didn't catch any monster trout, but they are out there. Good Luck!

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