The Field Journal
Rivers & Lakes · Tributary Creek

Cooper Creek

A creek in the Kootenay Lake watershed, a tributary of South Moyie Creek, holding Westslope Cutthroat and Rainbow in provincial fish-inventory records.

Cooper Creek is a tributary creek flowing into South Moyie Creek. Recorded fish: Westslope cutthroat, rainbow.

The water

It flows into South Moyie 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 6 km. Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, recorded here in provincial fish-inventory data (13 records).

The fishing

As a small stream, a tributary of South Moyie Creek, Cooper 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
Kootenay Lake watershed
straighten
Stream order 2
~6 km
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Westslope Cutthroat and Rainbow
13 records
sailing
Driftable In Sections Only

Conditions

  • Navigability: driftable in sections only, this river carries verified Class IV+ whitewater; never float beyond water you have scouted, and expect mandatory portages (median channel width ~18.7 m, wide; median gradient ~3.42%, moderate; peak mean-annual discharge ~8.291 m³/s, moderate flow; verified whitewater up to Class IV on this river (American Whitewater)).

Access & the rules

Access for Cooper 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 South Moyie Creek system.. Official synopsis: gov.bc.ca fishing regulations.