Photo by Lynn Burkhead

Patches of snow still dotted the scene under some of the shady areas amongst the ponderosa pines and blue spruce as I made my along the edge of the stream. As trout fishing days go, this was good.

By April the fishermen are out, but not too many. The feel of winter still lingers in the air in the deep canyons through which the streams run -- but at this time of year the trout are growing restless, and hungry, and while nothing dimpled the water's surface, activity stirred below.

I cast a Hare's Ear nymph out into the tail of the fast water and let it drift toward the pool downstream. In this type of fishing it's hard to tell when a trout bites; in fact, most strikes are probably never even noticed. But the trout that took the nymph was so determined that it pulled the line and hooked itself.

This trout took off on a jumping spree across the pool. When it came to hand, it turned out to be a 10-inch brown trout, which is in the common size range of trout caught in the major Black Hills streams.

You don't have to be an expert angler to catch trout in Black Hills streams this time of year. But if you gain the knowledge of one, then you'll certainly catch more fish. Someone like Hans Stephenson, owner of Dakota Angler and Outfitter fly shop in Rapid City, has been fishing this area for 15 years, and he's seen lots of fishermen use many techniques to go after these fish successfully.

The trout fishing goes on all year. Unlike some other species that get sluggish during the months when the water is cold, trout maintain a hearty appetite all through the cold seasons, which is good, because the northern sector of the Rocky Mountains, within which the Black Hills area is a part, has a lot of ice and frigid water.

April is on average a raw month. Snowstorms, often bringing some of the heaviest snowfall of the year usually occur in the mountains at this time. "We fish year 'round," said Stephenson. "But April is when things get a little more consistent. We like to fish anytime in the wintertime when it gets above 40 degrees; that is a good day to fish. Some of our best fishing has been in January when you get those warm days. But most people start fishing more regularly come March and April."

According to Stephenson, the best trout streams in the Black Hills right now are Rapid Creek, Spearfish Creek and Castle Creek.

Rapid Creek starts in the central Hills; there it's wild, and not fished too much. Winter lasts longest at its headwaters. The stretch that flows into Pactola has an easy hiking trail -- complete with wooden footbridges -- along it for miles. Part of the Deerfield Trail system, it perfectly suits hikers and fishermen.