RV-Dreams Journal

Free Fishing Day - (Keystone, SD)

Today was our last chance to do some fishing without needing a license, so we wanted to try our luck.  Non-resident fishing licenses for 2012 are $14 for a one-day, $32 for a three-day, or $60 for an annual.  Those fees don't include a $2 agent fee for the license seller.

There are only four or five natural lakes in the Black Hills.  Most have been created by damming the numerous creeks and streams.  And they are all stocked with fish.

Two of the small lakes are within four miles of our campground - Center Lake (inside Custer State Park) and Lakota Lake.

We got a late start that was made even later due to a desperate seach for my fly-fishing vest and all the gear in it and on it.  We don't know how things disappear in such a small space, but apparently my vest is in the RV "black hole".  The vest was a gift and I had all my flies in boxes in the pockets - I was really bummed out that we couldn't find it.  We just don't know where it could be.

Now, we've never done much trout fishing in lakes, so we had no idea what we were doing.  In our drive yesterday, I asked folks with fish what they were using and the common response was "worms".  Now we just needed to find some worms.

Fortunately, we found some worms at the "Wolf People Campground" about a half mile up the road.  Finally, around 2:00, we were at Center Lake.

But by the time we arrived, the wind was picking up and it was getting chilly.  The west side of the lake was already in shadows and the east side of the lake had people all along the shore.

We sat down on the west side in one small patch of sunshine where I saw a guy yesterday had caught some fish.  Again, we didn't really know what we were doing, but we started fishing on the bottom with our worms.

It took a little while, but I eventually caught a small rainbow trout.

 

 

The timing was good, 'cause the wind was making it cold and we were just about to pack it in after less than half an hour.  We took a close-up of the pretty little fish thinking it might be the only one of the day.

 

 

At least we knew we could catch a fish and we watched others pull them in as well.  But it was still cold, so we decided to squeeze ourselves in on the east side of the lake where we would be sitting in full sun and could get a little bit of a wind break.

 

 

Linda caught the first rainbow on that side of the lake.  Then I caught a couple more.  Then she caught a really nice one.  Finally, I caught a good one, too.

 

 

You can keep five trout per day per person, but only one over 14 inches.  But we released all of ours - I just don't like the hassle of cleaning them.  :)

While in that spot, Linda caught three and I caught four.  Linda might have caught more, but the fish kept getting her hung up and I had to replace a couple hooks for her.

The crowds started thinning out as the sun sank lower.  But these folks were still reeling them in.

 

 

Eventually, they left and we moved to their spot.  Linda caught another one and I caught five more.  So we brought in a total of fourteen trout for the afternoon - not bad for not knowing what we were doing.  :) 

It was a beautiful time of the day.  Some folks were fishing from float tubes, canoes, skiffs, and kayaks.  Trolling motors are allowed.

 

When the sun finally sank behind the hills and it was dusk, we called it quits.  The fish were surfacing and picking off insects like crazy.  It would have been fun to have been on our Foldcat with a fly rod.

We ended up spending about five and half hours fishing which was about five hours more than I thought when we first started.  But we were sure glad we stuck it out.  Now, I might just have to spring for license while Linda is gone next week.  :)

Back home, Linda made some soup and we had a relaxing evening.  I made my weekly phone call to my folks around 8:00 forgetting we are on Mountain time.  So, it was 10:00 in Louisville and they were already asleep.  Oops.

Tomorrow, I think we'll do some paddling on Sylvan Lake and then see what else we can get into.  See ya.  :)

---

 

 

Custer State Park & Dinner With Friends - (Keystone, SD)

Today, we drove through Custer State Park.  It really is more like a national park than a state park.  And this weekend is "Open House" weekend in which the admission fee is waived and you can fish without a license.

A mile from our campground, we entered the park on the northeast side.  Soon, we encountered one of the wild burros.

 

 

This one was all by itself.  We found others later.

We saw some bison bulls, but I vowed to not take any more bison pictures unless there were calves in the photos.  We've seen a lot of bison over the last few weeks.  :)

Then we came upon a couple of pronghorns.

 

 

Though they are known as Pronghorn Antelope or the American Antelope, they aren't antelope at all.  They aren't deer or goats either.  They are native to the U.S. and unique on the planet.  They have horns rather than antlers, but they are the only species to shed their horns like antlers.

They are also the second fastest land animal behind the cheetah.  They can reach speeds of 55 - 60 mph.  But unlike the cheetah which is limited to short bursts, the pronghorn can maintain speed for long distances.

Pronghorns are common in the plains, but I'd classify them as an underappreciated American mammal.  :)

We continued on to the famous Custer Wildlife Loop.  It didn't take long to spot more pronghorns.  And then we came upon a huge bison herd with lots of adorable calves.

 

 

We got great looks at the calves and they were so much fun to watch.

 

 

I'm pretty sure these two were twins.

 

 

After watching for a long time, we moved on and the herd did as well.

 

 

Next, we found a small group of wild burros.

 

 

Now these are the mooching burros.  The park doesn't care if you feed them, so everybody does.  :)

 

 

One ranger told me they can be aggressive and it's better to feed them from inside the car.  He said they knocked a lady down and broke her arm last week.  But a bunch of folks were out of their vehicles feeding them.

 

 

 

And these burros seemed to be behaving.  :)

We didn't have any food, but a lady shoved a stack of vanilla wafers in my hand to distract a burro so she could get back in her car.  It worked as I fed it and scratched its face.

   

 

After the burros, we moved on.  Going around a curve with no other vehicles in sight, I caught a glimpes of this beautiful coyote.

 

 

We finished the Wildlife Loop and saw more bison and lots of prairie dogs.  I restricted myself from taking more prairie dog photos as well.  :)

Back on the main park road, we headed toward the visitors center.  Along the way, we saw more bison, a few deer, and more pronghorn.

 

 

Then, about three feet off the road, these young bighorn sheep were just hanging out.

 

 

A little farther there were two more, even younger, sheep.

 

 

Well allrighty then.  We certainly had a great day of wildlife viewing.

Next, with the sun shining, we decided to a reprise of the Needles Highway.  But before we got too far into it, we took a detour to go take a look at Center Lake.

 

 

Center Lake is another lovely, trout-filled lake and I've been reading that the fishing has been great lately.

 

 

We might come back tomorrow.

Back on the Needles Highway, we climbed into the mountains and approached the first tunnel.

 

 

Here is a blue sky view of Cathedral Spires.

 

 

Formations along the road.

 

 

Waiting to go through the 8' 4" tunnel near the top.

 

 

Not only is it narrow, but it takes a wide swing to get straight to go through.  This is a view from the other side.

 

 

On that side of the tunnel (the western side), you will also find the "Eye of the Needle" formation.

 

 

The next stop was Sylvan Lake.

 

 

It's easy to see why this lake is called the "crown jewel" of Custer State Park.

 

 

Shadows were overtaking the rock wall at the end of the lake.  

 

 

One last photo before heading down the hill.

  

 

After Sylvan Lake, we continued on the Needles Highway as it descended through one more tunnel and toward the town of Hill City.

That ended our day of touring Custer State Park.  But then we had plans to meet our friends J.C. & Bev for dinner at the Alpine Inn in Hill City.

 

 

We hadn't seen them since April of last year, so it was great to get together.  Plus Bev is leaving town for a few days while Linda is gone, so J.C. and I will be getting together for a little golf and maybe some fishing and bike riding.

As for dinner, we've had a few recommendations for the Alpine Inn and its simple menu of a 6 oz. filet mignon for $9.95 or a 9 oz. filet for $11.95.  We arrived around 4:45 and there was already a huge line to get in at 5:00.  In my opinion, other than the price, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about - the food was quite average.

After dinner, we walked around town a little bit and then J.C. & Bev followed us home to see where our campground is located.  They didn't stay long and then headed back to their motorhome at the Sweetgrass Inn Bed & Breakfast where they have eight RV sites.

Well, that wraps up another fine day in western South Dakota.  Tomorrow, we hope to do a little fishing in one of the park lakes.  Until then.  :)

---