Grace Coolidge Creek Fishing Guides
A small Custer State Park creek with a celebrated three-mile walk-in fishing area, a chain of dammed pools and easy, unhurried trout water.
Guides on the Grace Coolidge Creek
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About the Grace Coolidge Creek
Grace Coolidge Creek is a modest stream in the heart of Custer State Park, running from Center Lake south past the State Game Lodge to join French Creek. It carries the name of the First Lady who spent the summer of 1927 here while her husband worked from the Game Lodge, and the creek has been a deliberately managed recreational fishery for most of the century since.
The defining feature is the Grace Coolidge Walk-In Fishing Area, a stretch of roughly three miles between the highway and Center Lake where a series of low dams has created a chain of pools connected by short runs of riffle. A foot trail follows the creek and crosses it repeatedly, which makes this some of the most approachable trout water anywhere in the Black Hills. A family can fish it in an afternoon without technical wading, and an experienced angler can work the pools carefully and still cover the whole reach in a day.
Brook trout are the most numerous fish and are found throughout, small and cooperative and willing to look at a dry fly all summer. Rainbows are stocked into the walk-in area and hold well in the deeper pools behind the dams. Brown trout are present in smaller numbers, generally in the lowest reaches nearer the confluence, and they are the wariest fish in the creek by a considerable margin.
The pools behind the dams fish quite differently from the connecting riffles, and the distinction is worth learning. The still water rewards a careful approach, long light tippet and a delicate presentation, because the fish can see you coming across flat water. The riffles and plunges are far more forgiving and hold fish in obvious places. Working upstream and staying low is the general answer to both.
Everything about the setting is straightforward. Parking is at either end of the walk-in area, the trail is well used and easy underfoot, and the Game Lodge end has the full range of park services. Custer State Park is busy through the summer and the bison herd moves freely through this country, so give animals a wide berth on the trail and expect company on the water in July and August.
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Access
Grace Coolidge Walk-In Fishing Area - the three-mile trail reach with the dammed pools, the main attraction.
State Game Lodge - the historic lodge at the lower end, with lodging, dining and parking.
Center Lake - the small lake at the head of the walk-in area, with a campground.
Highway 16A - the park road crossing the creek at the lower trailhead.
Game Lodge Campground - the park campground adjacent to the lower creek.
Custer State Park Visitor Center - the park information point near the Game Lodge.
Black Hills Playhouse - the park landmark on the road toward Center Lake.
Seasons
Spring: rising snowmelt and stocking, with the pools fishing well once flows settle in late May.
Summer: the peak season, with warm days, easy wading and brook trout taking dry flies.
Fall: cooling water, thinner crowds and the best fishing of the year in the lower pools.
Winter: cold and iced, with the walk-in trail snow-covered and the creek largely unfished.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Grace Coolidge Creek?
Anglers target Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout on the Grace Coolidge Creek in South Dakota.
Where can you access the Grace Coolidge Creek?
Grace Coolidge Walk-In Fishing Area - the three-mile trail reach with the dammed pools, the main attraction. State Game Lodge - the historic lodge at the lower end, with lodging, dining and parking. Center Lake - the small lake at the head of the walk-in area, with a campground. Highway 16A - the park road crossing the creek at the lower trailhead. Game Lodge Campground - the park campground adjacent to the lower creek. Custer State Park Visitor Center - the park information point near the Game Lodge. Black Hills Playhouse - the park landmark on the road toward Center Lake.
When is the best time to fish the Grace Coolidge Creek?
Spring: rising snowmelt and stocking, with the pools fishing well once flows settle in late May. Summer: the peak season, with warm days, easy wading and brook trout taking dry flies. Fall: cooling water, thinner crowds and the best fishing of the year in the lower pools. Winter: cold and iced, with the walk-in trail snow-covered and the creek largely unfished.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Grace Coolidge Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the South Dakota agency site: https://gfp.sd.gov/pages/regulations/