Hartley Creek is a tributary creek flowing into Elk River. Recorded fish: Bull Trout, Dolly Varden, Mountain Whitefish, Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout.
The water
It flows into Elk River within the Elk River watershed (Elk River → Kootenay River). It runs stream order 4 (mid-range in the network; the scale runs from 1 for a headwater trickle to 6+ for a river) and roughly 8 km. Bull Trout, Dolly Varden, Mountain Whitefish, Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout, recorded here in provincial fish-inventory data (38 records).
Stocking
For an angler judging whether the fishing is worth the drive, the stocking record is the fishing report. Hartley Creek is a put-and-take angling fishery, stocked with catchable game fish: 2 recorded releases totalling 35,000 fish (Brook Trout), last stocked 1928-01-01.
Hartley Creek — 35,000 fish stocked, 1927–1928
Brook Trout. Source: Province of BC — FIDQ / FISS Fish Releases via the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.
| Year | Brook Trout |
|---|---|
| 1928 | 10,000 |
| 1927 | 25,000 |
Stocking appears to have wound down after 1928. Confirm whether it is still topped up or now fishes as a residual, wild population. The chart below shows the full release history.
The fishing
As a small stream, a tributary of Elk River, Hartley 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. The stocking record below is the truest read on what you will catch.
Access & the rules
Access for Hartley 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.
