The Black Hills are famous for Mount Rushmore, Sturgis, and Deadwood, but the trout fishing is the attraction that requires no admission fee and delivers more thrills than a motorcycle rally. Rapid Creek flows through the heart of the Hills and holds brown and rainbow trout that have been eating pheasant tail nymphs since before anyone thought to name the pattern. This tungsten-bead version sinks fast through the creek's quick freestone runs, putting the fly in the strike zone before the current carries it past the fish. Spearfish Creek adds another dimension -- a canyon stream with pocket water that rewards short, precise drifts and a willingness to scramble over boulders. The pheasant tail fibers look like every small mayfly nymph in these waters, which is a lot of mayfly nymphs.