Black Hills Ice Fishing Wonderland

Having returned from South Dakota's Black Hills yesterday, I'm only now beginning to digest the vastness and rugged beauty of the region and the tremendous ice fishing opportunity found in the lakes that are scattered through the region. We fished five different lakes in three days and only scratched the surface. Each was unique in its appearance, character and species mix. All were beautiful, and all yielded fish.

Fishing with Tyler and Alex of Dakota Dream Outdoors, I caught seven different kinds of fish. The big laker that bit on the first morning ramains my favorite catch, but the brilliantly colored cutbow that came from a tiny little forest service lake on our final day of fishing stands as a close second.

Day 3's fishing plan also put us close to Mount Rushmore, so I got the opportunity to visit this treasured national landmark and see it with my own eyes. How they carved such detail out of granite in such large scale and so high on the mountain 70 years ago is beyond my comprehension. We fished three small mountain lakes that day, and the drives from lake to lake were almost as fun as the fishing itself.

We spotted wild turkeys, mule deer, whitetails and coyotes along the way. Other big game species that make heavy use of the same mountains include pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and mountain lions. Virtually every gas station, motel lobby or eating place in the area has mounts ranging from bison to pronghorns on the walls, and the bighorn crossing signs stretch almost into the town limits of Hill City.

Of course, staying in Historic Deadwood only added to the Wild West feel of the trip. Walking snow-covered streets with steep mountain rising on both sides, I really felt like a gun-slinging cowboy could come riding up on his horse at any time!