Gardner Creek is a tributary creek flowing into Elk River. Recorded fish: Westslope cutthroat, bull trout, cutthroat, dolly varden, mtn whitefish.
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 7 km. Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Bull Trout, cutthroat, dolly varden, Mountain Whitefish, recorded here in provincial fish-inventory data (9 records).
The fishing
As a small stream, a tributary of Elk River, Gardner 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.
Conditions
- Navigability: wade / technical: steep gradient, pocket water (median channel width ~7.3 m, moderate width; median gradient ~9.83%, very steep; peak mean-annual discharge ~1.05 m³/s, low flow).
Access & the rules
Access for Gardner 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.
