A creek in the Kootenay Lake watershed, a tributary of Cottonwood Creek, holding Cutthroat Trout and Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout in provincial fish-inventory records.
Gold Creek is a tributary creek flowing into Cottonwood Creek. Recorded fish: Cutthroat Trout, Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout.
The water
It flows into Cottonwood Creek within the Kootenay Lake watershed (Kootenay Lake → Kootenay River). It runs stream order 2 (high in the network, near the headwaters; the scale runs from 1 for a headwater trickle to 6+ for a river) and roughly 3 km. Cutthroat Trout, Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout, recorded here in provincial fish-inventory data (5 records).
The fishing
As a small stream, a tributary of Cottonwood Creek, Gold Creek fishes the way creeks of its size do: short drifts with a buoyant attractor dry over a light dropper, working the pocket water and the heads of pools. Match the fly box to the season and confirm against a current local report.
water_drop
Tributary Creek
Kootenay Lake watershed
straighten
Stream order 2
~3 km
set_meal
Cutthroat Trout and Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout
5 records
sailing
Driftable With Caution
Conditions
Navigability:driftable with caution: wide, low-gradient sections suit a float/raft, but rated rapids or canyon-confined reaches interrupt them; check the drift map (median channel width ~11.5 m, moderate width; median gradient ~0.8%, very gentle; peak mean-annual discharge ~6.246 m³/s, moderate flow; canyon-confined sections with ~131 m walls (DEM)).
Access & the rules
Access for Gold Creek, meaning the roads in, put-ins and any walk-in or seasonal limits, is worth confirming locally before you commit a day. The drainage map shows how the water sits in its valley.
gavel
Before you fish
Confirm the current BC freshwater fishing regulations (Region 4 – Kootenay) before you go This water is part of the Cottonwood Creek system.. Official synopsis: gov.bc.ca fishing regulations.
