April first may be a bit early for tent camping in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It all looked OK before I left Gillette, 50 degrees, partly cloudy, dry roads and only 20% chance of rain. I drove up Spearfish Creek fishing along the way, despite the beautiful and very fishy water, the fishing was slow so I decided to give the fish a break and head up to the campground. Once off the pavement the road turned to mud and then slush, then ice and snow. After weaving around fallen rocks and with a couple miles still to go, I being a prudent driver, elected to change the plan and find another campground.
The sky had clouded and a mist began when I pulled into the Whitetail campground. Being the first camper of the season, the owner helped me shovel a spot and move a table over. I headed over to Lead and fished some beaver ponds until about dark then returned to camp, had dinner, then went to bed. About midnight I woke to see a light snow falling, and when I got up at sunrise there was a half inch on the ground.
After making tea, I headed back to Spearfish Creek and fished a few ponds as it continued to snow. Without the fish biting, it was time to make the drive back, and save the fish for another day.
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