Abel Creek joins Lake Windermere on the upper Columbia system, just south of Invermere. BC Geographical Names lists it as an official creek flowing east into the lake, and Kootenay Conservation Program restoration records mark it as a documented Kokanee and rainbow trout spawning stream rather than a destination trout fishery.
The water
Abel Creek's mouth sits at 50.48889, -116.02639. It runs stream order 2, a small headwater-scale feeder on a network that runs from 1 for a headwater trickle up to 6 or more for a full river, and stretches roughly 5 km before it reaches the lake. No channel-geometry survey (width, gradient, discharge) has been logged for the creek itself, so treat it as a small, unmeasured tributary until that data turns up.
Local beat records show 61 direct fish observations, dominated by longnose sucker, rainbow trout and white sucker, with largescale sucker, brook trout, mountain whitefish, Redside Shiner, a cutthroat/rainbow cross and trout fry rounding out the count. That sucker-heavy mix is typical of a small, warm-margin lake tributary rather than a trout-dense mountain creek.
The fishing
Kootenay Conservation Program material documents Abel Creek's lower reach as spawning habitat for Kokanee and rainbow trout, with fish-passage work completed at a lower barrier near Westside Road: kokanee moved into new upstream spawning habitat after 2014-2015 barrier removal, and further culvert work opened roughly 3 km of additional habitat. That makes Abel a restoration-first water. Do not fish over visible spawning fish or walk spawning gravel, and treat the creek as habitat and stewardship water before it's a rod-and-reel destination.
If legal access, fish presence and cool flows are confirmed on a non-spawning reach, small, sparse patterns match the water: Adams, Royal Wulff, Elk Hair Caddis, a small Stimulator, Hare's Ear, Prince Nymph, Pheasant Tail and a small Woolly Bugger where the lower, lake-connected water holds fry or baitfish.
Spawning water: fish accordingly
Food in the lower, lake-connected reaches likely includes small Mayflies, Caddisflies (Sedges), small stoneflies, summer Terrestrials (Hoppers, Ants, Beetles), Redside Shiner, sucker and trout fry, kokanee fry and other Baitfish & Fry, consistent with a small tributary tied into Windermere's forage base.
Conditions & stocking
- Navigability: no bcfishpass channel-geometry record exists for Abel Creek itself. The species mix (suckers, small trout, whitefish) and the stream-order-2 classification point to a small, low-volume feeder rather than driftable water.
- Stocking: no FFSBC stocking record. Abel runs on wild and lake-connected spawning-run fish only.
Access and the rules
The best-documented landmark is Westside Road near Invermere, where Kootenay Conservation Program crews rebuilt fish passage at a lower barrier and opened further culvert habitat upstream. No named trailhead, parking area or confirmed public access point has turned up for Abel Creek, and land tenure along the creek has not been verified. Kootenay Troutfitters is the nearest Columbia Valley guide outfit, but no source confirms dedicated Abel Creek guiding.
