Live wading and fishing conditions for 33 South Dakota rivers
Every river below is monitored through its USGS streamflow gauges, refreshed every 15 minutes and rated in plain language for wading safety. Select a river for the live dashboard with current flow, trend, weather and community reports.
Rapid Creek
The crown jewel of Black Hills trout fishing — a cold, clear tailwater below Pactola Reservoir holding wild brown and rainbow trout, then a special-regulation reach through Rapid City. Flow below Pactola is dam-controlled, so it fishes best on low, steady releases and blows out fast after mountain rain in the lower canyon.
Region: Black Hills · Fish for: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout · USGS gauges: Rapid Creek Below Pactola Dam, Sd, Rapid Creek Above Canyon Lake Near Rapid City, Sd, Rapid Creek At Rapid City, Sd, Rapid Cr Near Farmingdale, Sd
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Spearfish Creek
A gorgeous northern Black Hills trout stream tumbling through Spearfish Canyon, holding wild brown, rainbow, and brook trout in pocket water and deep plunge pools. Spring-fed and cold, it fishes well most of the year, with the canyon reach a classic dry-dropper and nymph creek.
Region: Black Hills · Fish for: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout · USGS gauges: Spearfish Creek Near Lead, Sd, Spearfish Creek At Spearfish, Sd
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Big Sioux River
The major river of eastern South Dakota, flowing from the glacial lakes near Watertown down through Sioux Falls to the Missouri — a warmwater smallmouth, walleye, channel-cat, and northern-pike river with genuinely good bass water in its rockier reaches. Bank, wade, and float depending on the reach, with the falls area and rocky stretches the standouts.
Region: Big Sioux & East · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Big Sioux River At Watertown, Sd, Big Sioux River Near Brookings, Sd, Big Sioux River Near Dell Rapids, Sd, Big Sioux River At Sioux Falls, Sd
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French Creek
The wild trout stream running through Custer State Park's French Creek Natural Area — a scenic, remote catch-and-release brown and brook trout creek in a granite canyon. Access is by foot, and the reward is solitude and wary wild fish in a spectacular setting.
Region: Black Hills · Fish for: Brown Trout, Brook Trout · USGS gauges: French Creek Above Fairburn, Sd
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Castle Creek
A central Black Hills trout creek above and below Deerfield Reservoir, holding brook, brown, and rainbow trout in meadow and forest reaches. The tailwater below Deerfield Dam stays cold and fishes well; the upper meadow water is classic small-stream brook trout habitat.
Region: Black Hills · Fish for: Brook Trout, Brown Trout · USGS gauges: Castle Cr Above Deerfield Res Near Hill City, Sd, Castle Creek Below Deerfield Dam, Sd
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James River
The longest unnavigable river in the world winds slowly across eastern South Dakota from Columbia to Yankton — a low-gradient prairie river of long slow pools and oxbows holding walleye, channel catfish, northern pike, smallmouth, and white bass. Fishes best below the dams and in the deeper holes; a bank-and-boat river through most of its length.
Region: James River Valley · Fish for: Walleye, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: James River At Columbia, Sd, James River At Ashton, Sd, James River At Huron, Sd, James River Near Forestburg, Sd
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Little Spearfish Creek
A small, cold tributary at the head of Spearfish Canyon around Roughlock Falls and the Little Spearfish valley — a delightful small-stream brook and brown trout fishery in the pines. Skinny, technical water rewarding a stealthy approach and a short line.
Region: Black Hills · Fish for: Brook Trout, Brown Trout · USGS gauges: Little Spearfish Creek Near Lead, Sd
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Split Rock Creek
A scenic eastern smallmouth creek carving through the Sioux quartzite at Palisades State Park near Garretson — clear water over pink-rock ledges holding some of the state's prettiest river smallmouth. A standout wade-and-bank fishery in a spectacular canyon setting.
Region: Big Sioux & East · Fish for: Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Split Rock Creek At Corson, Sd
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Battle Creek
A southeastern Black Hills trout creek dropping out of the hills past Keystone and Hermosa, holding brown and rainbow trout in its upper cold reaches. The higher water near Keystone stays trout-cold; below Hermosa it warms and transitions toward warmwater as it leaves the hills.
Region: Black Hills · Fish for: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout · USGS gauges: Battle Creek Near Keystone, Sd, Battle Creek At Hermosa, Sd, Battle Creek Below Hermosa, Sd
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Spring Creek
A central Black Hills trout creek feeding Sheridan Lake, holding brown, brook, and rainbow trout in forest pocket water and small meadow reaches near Keystone. A pretty, lightly pressured small stream best fished with a short line and light gear.
Region: Black Hills · Fish for: Brown Trout, Brook Trout · USGS gauges: Spring Creek Near Keystone, Sd
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Cheyenne River
A big, turbid West River flowing from Wyoming around the south side of the Black Hills to Lake Oahe — a warmwater catfish, walleye, and sauger river running through badlands and prairie. The reach below Angostura Dam is a coldwater-influenced tailwater; the rest is a bank-and-boat river read for current safety.
Region: Cheyenne River · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Walleye · USGS gauges: Cheyenne River At Edgemont, Sd, Cheyenne River Below Angostura Dam, Sd, Cheyenne River Near Buffalo Gap, Sd, Cheyenne River At Red Shirt, Sd
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Boxelder Creek
A northern Black Hills trout creek near Nemo, tumbling through the pines with wild brook and brown trout in its cold upper reaches. Small, remote, and scenic — a favorite of anglers who like to hike and fish skinny water.
Region: Black Hills · Fish for: Brook Trout, Brown Trout · USGS gauges: Boxelder Creek Near Nemo, Sd
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Whitewood Creek
A northern Black Hills creek running from Deadwood past Whitewood — once devastated by mining tailings, now recovering with trout in its upper cold reaches. A comeback story where wild browns and stocked trout hold in the reviving upper water above the prairie transition.
Region: Black Hills · Fish for: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout · USGS gauges: Whitewood Creek At Deadwood, Sd, Whitewood Creek Near Whitewood, Sd
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Belle Fourche River
A major northwestern prairie river arcing from Wyoming around the northern Black Hills past Belle Fourche and Sturgis — a turbid, slow-moving warmwater river holding channel catfish, walleye, smallmouth, and northern pike. A bank-and-boat fishery best read for current safety, not wading.
Region: Belle Fourche & Redwater · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Walleye · USGS gauges: Belle Fourche River At Wy-Sd State Line, Belle Fourche River Near Fruitdale, Sd, Belle Fourche River Near Sturgis, Sd, Belle Fourche River Near Elm Springs, Sd
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Redwater River
A northwestern hills-and-prairie river fed by Redwater Creek out of Wyoming and the spring flows near Spearfish — cold enough in its upper reaches for trout, warming into a smallmouth and channel-cat river as it heads to the Belle Fourche. A pretty transitional stream in ranch country.
Region: Belle Fourche & Redwater · Fish for: Brown Trout, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Redwater Creek At Wy-Sd State Line, Redwater River Above Belle Fourche, Sd
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Little White River
A clearer, spring-influenced south-central river flowing from near Martin through the Rosebud to the White River — noticeably cleaner than its parent, holding smallmouth, channel catfish, and northern pike in a scenic sandhills-and-canyon setting. One of the more pleasant West River streams to fish.
Region: West River Prairie · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Smallmouth Bass · USGS gauges: Little White River Near Martin, Sd, Little White River Near Rosebud, Sd, Little White River Below White River, Sd
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Beaver Creek
A southern Black Hills trout creek near Buffalo Gap and Wind Cave, holding brook and brown trout in its cold canyon reaches. A scenic, lightly fished small stream in the southern hills, best in the cool water of spring and fall.
Region: Black Hills · Fish for: Brook Trout, Brown Trout · USGS gauges: Beaver Creek Near Buffalo Gap, Sd
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Bear Butte Creek
A small northern Black Hills creek near Deadwood and Sturgis holding brown and brook trout in its cold upper reaches before it drops toward the prairie. A quiet, small-stream fishery for anglers who want solitude off the beaten path.
Region: Black Hills · Fish for: Brown Trout, Brook Trout · USGS gauges: Bear Butte Creek Near Deadwood, Sd
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Grand River
A turbid north-central prairie river formed by its North and South forks, flowing across the reservation to Lake Oahe near Little Eagle — a warmwater catfish, walleye, and sauger river of muddy holes and cut banks. A classic West River bank fishery best in the deeper bends.
Region: West River Prairie · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Walleye · USGS gauges: North Fork Grand River Near White Butte, Sd, South Fork Grand River Near Cash, Sd, Grand River At Little Eagle, Sd
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Skunk Creek
A Big Sioux tributary joining the river in Sioux Falls — a modest prairie creek holding channel catfish, smallmouth, and the occasional walleye in its holes and current breaks. A handy urban-edge fishery for a quick after-work trip near the city.
Region: Big Sioux & East · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Smallmouth Bass · USGS gauges: Skunk Creek At Sioux Falls, Sd
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Vermillion River
A southeastern prairie river formed by its East and West forks near Parker, flowing to the Missouri at Vermillion — a slow, turbid warmwater river holding channel catfish, walleye, northern pike, and white bass. A bank-and-boat river with good cats in the deeper holes and a spring white-bass run near the mouth.
Region: Big Sioux & East · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Walleye · USGS gauges: East Fork Vermillion River Near Parker, Sd, West Fork Vermillion River Near Parker, Sd, Vermillion River Near Vermillion,Sd
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Fall River
A short, spring-fed river at Hot Springs in the southern Black Hills, running warm and clear from the artesian springs — a quirky urban fishery with trout and warmwater species. The constant spring flow keeps it fishable and open through much of the winter.
Region: Black Hills · Fish for: Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout · USGS gauges: Fall River At Hot Springs, Sd
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White River
The signature muddy river of the South Dakota badlands — the White runs milky-gray with fine clay from Nebraska across the reservation to Lake Francis Case, a turbid channel-cat and sauger river of deep holes and shifting sandbars. Not a wade stream; a bank fishery read for current safety.
Region: West River Prairie · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Sauger · USGS gauges: White River Near Oglala, Sd, White River Near Interior, Sd, White River Near Kadoka, Sd, White River Near White River, Sd
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Elm River
A northeastern James tributary flowing past Westport toward the James near Aberdeen — a slow prairie stream and reservoir-fed reach holding walleye, northern pike, and channel catfish. Quiet farm-country water that fishes well below the impoundments and in the deeper holes.
Region: James River Valley · Fish for: Walleye, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Elm River At Westport, Sd
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Elk Creek
A northern Black Hills creek that starts as cold trout water near the pines and drops onto the prairie toward Elm Springs, where it warms into a channel-cat and smallmouth stream. A two-in-one creek — trout up high, warmwater down low.
Region: Black Hills · Fish for: Brown Trout, Channel Catfish · USGS gauges: Elk Creek Near Elm Springs, Sd
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Moreau River
A remote, turbid West River prairie river flowing from near Faith across the reservation to Lake Oahe — a lightly fished channel-cat, walleye, and sauger river of muddy holes and sandbars. Deep country solitude and honest catfish water for those who make the drive.
Region: West River Prairie · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Walleye · USGS gauges: Moreau River Near Faith, Sd, Moreau River Near Whitehorse, Sd
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Keya Paha River
A south-central prairie river winding through the sandhills toward the Niobrara near the Nebraska line — a clearer, sandy-bottomed stream holding channel catfish, smallmouth, and the occasional walleye. Quiet ranch-country water with pleasant summer wading in the lower flows.
Region: West River Prairie · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Smallmouth Bass · USGS gauges: Keya Paha River Near Keyapaha, Sd, Keya Paha River At Wewela, Sd
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Little Missouri River
The far-northwest corner of South Dakota carries the Little Missouri near Camp Crook — a turbid, intermittent prairie river of badlands country holding channel catfish, sauger, and the occasional smallmouth. Remote, seasonal, and honest bank water when it's running.
Region: West River Prairie · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Sauger · USGS gauges: Little Missouri River At Camp Crook, Sd
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Bad River
A turbid central-prairie river flowing from near Cottonwood to the Missouri at Fort Pierre — a muddy channel-cat and walleye river of deep holes and cut banks that runs hard after prairie rains. A bank fishery best read for current safety, with good cats near the Missouri confluence.
Region: West River Prairie · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Walleye · USGS gauges: South Fork Bad River Near Cottonwood, Sd, Bad River Near Fort Pierre, Sd
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Flandreau Creek
A small eastern prairie creek flowing past Flandreau to the Big Sioux — a quiet farm-country stream holding channel catfish, northern pike, and the occasional walleye in its holes and slack water. Lightly fished small water for anglers who like solitude close to home.
Region: Big Sioux & East · Fish for: Channel Catfish, Northern Pike · USGS gauges: Flandreau Creek Above Flandreau, Sd
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Whetstone River
A small northeastern prairie river flowing to Big Stone Lake at the Minnesota line near Big Stone City — a quiet glacial-country stream that draws walleye and northern pike up from the lake in spring. Modest water with a good early-season run near the mouth.
Region: Northeast Glacial · Fish for: Walleye, Northern Pike · USGS gauges: Whetstone River Near Big Stone City, Sd
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Little Minnesota River
The headwaters of the Minnesota River rise in the far northeast near Peever and flow to Big Stone Lake — a small glacial-valley prairie stream drawing walleye and pike up from the lake in spring. Quiet ranch-and-farm water in the Coteau des Prairies.
Region: Northeast Glacial · Fish for: Walleye, Northern Pike · USGS gauges: Little Minnesota River Near Peever, Sd
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Bois de Sioux River
The far-northeastern border river draining Lake Traverse north toward the Red River near White Rock — a slow, ditch-straightened prairie river holding northern pike, walleye, and channel catfish. Flat glacial-plain water that fishes best below the outlet and in the deeper holes.
Region: Northeast Glacial · Fish for: Northern Pike, Walleye · USGS gauges: Bois De Sioux River Near White Rock, Sd
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