This area is managed for trophy-sized fish. And it's the place that many visiting flyfishermen come to first.

Much further up the watershed lies Castle Creek, which flows out of the high country of the Black Hills. Some anglers go after brook trout in the headwaters of Castle Creek and nearby Ditch Creek. This is one of the last streams to thaw out each spring. It's also remote, with not much fishing pressure.

Above Deerfield Lake, Castle Creek is smaller as it flows through the Black Hills spruce forests there. The fishing is almost like stalking, often amidst overhanging limbs and bushes over and beside the stream. But once Castle Creek emerges from Deerfield Dam, it becomes one of the best trout streams in the Hills. It's especially noted for its large brook trout.

"Castle Creek below Deerfield is good," said Stephenson. "Last summer with the heat, we saw a lot of weed growth. The numbers of brown trout are actually going up, based on what the SDDGFP data is. Brookies are also very much a part of that fishery. Some are 10 or 12 inches, which for brook trout is really very nice. There is a better chance of catching brook trout there below Deerfield in Castle Creek than anywhere else in the Hills."

The stream below Deerfield tends to be deep, and rich in nutrients. Wading fishermen can easily take a plunge into a dropoff hole. The stream is different from Rapid Creek in that respect, in that the holes often drop down deep very quickly.

"That fishery is pretty good from the dam down to where it crosses Slate Prairie Road," said Stephenson. "Once you get down below Slate Prairie Road, they are planning a project to restore some of the stream that has been mucked up by cattle grazing. It has a lot of potential if they get that project pushed through. There are areas where the stream has been widened by cattle walking in it."

Further downstream, the fishing tends to the unspectacular, but there are still fish, and the scenery is excellent. "The Mystic area hasn't been as good lately," said Stephenson. "You are better the closer to the dam you are."

Spearfish Creek, up in the northern Hills, is celebrated as a beautiful piece of water amid a fantastic setting. Much of it flows through Spearfish Canyon, which is a National Scenic Byway. It's a favorite of tourists, and of people who like to look at the golden aspen and birch leaves in the fall.

For fishermen, it's a stream with easy access. There are pullouts along most of the stream. And in the town of Spearfish, excellent sections of the creek flow right through the city park.