A creek in the St. Mary River watershed, a tributary of St. Mary River, holding Brook Trout, Bull Trout and Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout in provincial fish-inventory records.
Matthew Creek is a tributary creek flowing into St. Mary River. Recorded fish: Brook Trout, Bull Trout, Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout.
The water
It flows into St. Mary River within the St. Mary River watershed (St. Mary River → Kootenay River). It runs stream order 5 (well down the network, toward river scale; the scale runs from 1 for a headwater trickle to 6+ for a river) and roughly 24 km. Brook Trout, Bull Trout, Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout, recorded here in provincial fish-inventory data (42 records).
The fishing
As a small stream, a tributary of St. Mary River, Matthew 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.
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Tributary Creek
St. Mary River watershed
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Stream order 5
~24 km
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Brook Trout and Bull Trout
42 records
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Not A Casual Float
Conditions
Navigability:not a casual float: whitewater or canyon evidence on this water; treat as wade unless a guide says otherwise (median channel width ~11.5 m, moderate width; median gradient ~3.58%, moderate; peak mean-annual discharge ~2.29 m³/s, low flow; canyon-confined sections with ~160 m walls (DEM)).
Access & the rules
Access for Matthew 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.
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Before you fish
Confirm the current BC freshwater fishing regulations (Region 4 – Kootenay) before you go This water is part of the St. Mary River system.. Official synopsis: gov.bc.ca fishing regulations.
