Deadwood: Thawed

Because I get the opportunity to travel to a lot of cool places, folks often ask me about favorite trips and destinations. As an all-species fisherman and a fan of rivers and lakes alike, I find a unique draw in many different places, and I honestly don't think I could pick a favorite. Still, a trip I find myself telling folks about quite frequently is one I took to Deadwood, South Dakota a few winters ago. We fished through the ice on several small lakes, all mountain shrouded, and caught about 10 kinds of fish. Between days on the water, we hung out in the Old West town of Deadwood.

I've been dreaming about  a Deadwood return ever since, and in a week and a half those dreams become reality. Except this time, instead of walking out on the lakes with ice rods in hand, we'll be venturing out in float tubes with fly rods. We'll also spend some time wading Black Hills streams for trout. Apparently, Cabela's has some cool new gear that we'll get to put to the test!

I'm eager to see the landscapes thawed and the town of Deadwood hopping and to cast to trout and other kinds of fish instead of fishing vertically. I wonder what kind of flies the fish will favor and what species I might get to add to this year's tally!