And in this stretch of Spearfish Creek in town, you'll find some of the largest brown trout in the Black Hills. Like all trout that live in streams where people pound the water, the trout can be finicky and challenging to catch. But that makes them more worthwhile in their own way for good fishermen to go after.

Rapid Creek, which sweeps out of the central Black Hills, has a similar pattern of brook trout in the headwaters and browns in the mainstream stretch. Parts of Rapid Creek have been hit hard by invasive organisms, so fishermen will not attain levels of success experienced here 10 years ago. And in some of the central stretches, it is still best to go somewhere else to fish.

The headwaters of Rapid Creek above Pactola tend to be muddy during much of spring. And that includes April. When it does clear, it is an interesting place to fish, with a bit of wildness to it. A nice trail runs along this stream from just above Silver City to about as far as you'll want to walk in one day.

This is perfect, because the access is great, but it eliminates anglers who are lazy or who aren't very serious. If you like to fish and are willing to walk a bit, this is a fun area to go to. You'll have most stretches entirely to yourself, even during the busiest part of summer.

The third big stream in the Black Hills is Castle Creek. And the best fishing in it is usually just below Deerfield Dam. The stream in this section is deceiving. It is often not very wide -- only 5 or 6 feet in places. But if you step off the bank, you might be in over your hip boots and perhaps even your head. The deep holes are wonderful places for trout. You'll find some of the biggest brook trout in the Black Hills here -- browns, too.

A number of other smaller streams here are good as well. And some of them, such as Crow Creek, French Creek and Sand Creek, have big fish. Smaller ones such as Spring Creek, Box Elder Creek and Ditch Creek have fish but very few anglers. The fish size runs smaller, however.

Trout fishermen will hit the lakes just as soon as the ice goes out. And some open water will appear during April. In fact, at times during spring lake fishing is the way to go if the streams are turbid from run-off.

Deerfield Lake is the highest-elevation large lake in the Black Hills. It's fun to fish it on a spring day when the sun warms your back and spring is in the offing. But even more special is casting for rising trout while an April snowstorm rages and snow falls from the sky. Such things make life in the mountains invigorating and wonderful.

Other good lakes this time of year include Pactola and Stockade. They are large and have lots of trout. Sheridan has some trout, but also lots of perch, with northerns and bluegills also in the mix. Pactola can be an intimidating lake to fish because it is fairly large. But this time of year, anglers take some of the larger trout that are caught from it.