Cup Creek is a short, steep tributary that joins Lardeau Creek in the Trout Lake drainage, on the east side of the Gainer Creek branch. No direct fish observations have turned up for the creek itself; what it carries is the inferred bull trout signal shared by the wider Lardeau system, so it reads as scout water rather than a proven destination.
The water
NRCan's official Kootenay Land District listing puts Cup Creek at 50.659722, -117.381667, a name that repeats elsewhere in the province, so this coordinate is the one to use. It runs stream order 3 (early in the network, on a scale that runs from 1 for a headwater trickle up to 6 or more for a full river) across roughly 4 km, then empties into Lardeau Creek, which in turn feeds Trout Lake. The bcfishpass channel-geometry model, drawn from five mapped segments, puts the median width at 3.9 m and the median gradient at 21.47%, a narrow, very steep profile typical of a small, fast headwater creek rather than a wadeable trout stream with holding water.
The fishing
No named-line fish observations exist for Cup Creek in provincial inventory data. The only signal it carries is inferred: the wider Gainer Creek branch of the Lardeau system sits in bull trout country, and Region 4's tributary rules treat creeks like this one as part of that Trout Lake bull trout context by default. That is not the same as a confirmed fishery. Anyone visiting should verify a fish-bearing reach, flow and legal access before fishing, and expect pocket water on a very small, technical creek rather than open runs.
Scout water, not a destination
The working food model for this kind of small, cold Lardeau-system tributary, if a fish-bearing reach is confirmed, is small Mayflies, Caddisflies (Sedges), Stoneflies and Terrestrials (Hoppers, Ants, Beetles), with tiny Sculpin or juvenile fish where a lower reach connects to bigger water. No Cup Creek-specific hatch or diet data has surfaced, so treat this as a working hypothesis, not a confirmed pattern. For legal, ethical scouting only, a small box built around a Stimulator, Elk Hair Caddis, Adams or Royal Wulff on top and a Prince Nymph, Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph or Pheasant Tail Nymph underneath, plus a small Woolly Bugger-style streamer, covers the likely water.
Conditions
- Navigability: narrow and very steep (median width ~3.9 m, narrow; median gradient ~21.47%, very steep; peak mean-annual discharge ~0.221 m³/s, very low flow), a small technical headwater creek rather than a drift or open-run fishery.
- Stocking: no stocking record. Any fish present would be wild.
Access and the rules
No named trailhead, parking area or put-in has been confirmed for Cup Creek. It sits in the Gainer Creek branch of the Lardeau Creek watershed above Trout Lake, old-road and mining-claim country tied to the historical Gainer, Index and Ottawa Creek workings nearby. Confirm current road status, tenure and any seasonal closures before heading in. No fishing-guide coverage of Cup Creek has been found.
