When you think of Custer State Park what comes to mind first? Bison, the Buffalo Roundup, carside-burro selfies, abundant wildlife, gorgeous scenery, and numerous hiking trails would all be acceptable answers. Indeed, Custer State Park offers something for everyone in the family and is truly the crown jewel of the South Dakota State Park system. However, many anglers may think family vacation instead of fishing trip, and that is where they would be wrong!
Custer State Park is home to numerous fisheries, and you can fish anywhere within the park with a valid South Dakota fishing license. The park is home to rainbow trout, brown trout, and brook trout. Only one trout may exceed 14 inches, with no minimum size limit and a daily limit of five fish. Anglers can fish with anything from flies, artificial baits, to live bait.
Center Lake is probably the most well-known fishery in the park, and other waterbodies like Sylvan Lake and Legion Lake can both be good options as well as several other small creeks and fisheries dotted throughout the park too. Stockade Lake also features northern pike, bass, perch, crappie and bluegill. However, for anglers looking to get the ultimate Custer State Park fishing experience, it is hard to top the Grace Coolidge Walk-In Fishery.
The Grace Coolidge Walk-In Fishery is exactly what it sounds like, a fishery system that you walk into. It combines hiking and fishing, plus of course some gorgeous views as well. It is truly vintage Custer State Park. The fisheries within this area can also produce some excellent fishing too!
The Grace Coolidge Walk-In Area itself is 3 miles one way and rated as a moderate difficultly level trail. The trail features approximately 15 creek crossings among the fisheries, so hikers should be expected to get wet getting to and from their fishing spot. Anglers can fish any of the six lowhead dams found along the trails, and often find good fishing too!
We decided to check out this fishery when in Custer for the 2024 Buffalo Roundup. We had two prototype ultralight JB Designs Custom Rods to field test, and decided that some Custer State Park rainbow trout would be the perfect candidates to try these rods out on! We kept the presentation simple, fishing 1/16 oz hair jigs tipped with mealworms and waxworms to emulate the insects the trout were feeding on.
We found the most success to be fishing right off the dam, essentially vertical jigging these presentations along the shade provided by the dam. The sun was high, and the trout were utilizing this shade to both stay comfortable and feed. The fish were surfacing across the water, and we could see many of the fish as they struck!
In just over an hour of fishing, we caught about 15 quality rainbow trout. These fish were willing biters, hard fighters, and overall a ton of fun for us to catch and was a nice change of pace from our normal walleye fishing.
Overall, this fishery was both a new and fun challenge. The combination of hiking, gorgeous views, and great trout fishing makes for a pleasant experience on all fronts and is fun for hard core anglers and hikers who may just be looking to wet a line.
While it is easy to think about everything else Custer State Park has to offer and forget to pack the fishing rods, anglers looking to have a new experience and enjoy some really good fishing should make sure to plan some time on the water! Whether you’re a seasoned trout angler, or a classic walleye snob, you’re going to find fish willing to bite, a fun challenge, and a new experience that is unlike any other fishing opportunity in the state!
