Goldie Creek is a small tributary that drains into the Columbia River on the west side of the Windermere Valley, a short drive north of Invermere. It carries brook trout and rainbow trout year-round, and Kokanee become visible from the adjoining trail during the fall spawning run.
The water
The creek runs stream order 4 (mid-range on a scale that goes from 1 for a headwater trickle up to 6 or more for a full river) and stretches roughly 15 km before joining the Columbia. Local fish-inventory data lists 20 direct records on the creek: brook trout 10, kokanee 3, rainbow trout 2, and 5 unidentified fish. The Westside Legacy Trail's own interpretive material corroborates that read, noting resident rainbow and brook trout in the creek and kokanee visible during the spawning season. Sunlight Creek is Goldie's named child creek but carries no direct fish observations of its own, so treat it as context water rather than a proven fishery. Water Survey of Canada runs a hydrometric station directly on the creek, Goldie Creek near Invermere (08NA004), a useful flow check before scouting a visit.
The fishing
Goldie fishes as small dry/dropper water: narrow (median width ~1.8 m), moderately steep (median gradient ~4.38%) and low-flow (peak mean-annual discharge ~0.245 m³/s), the profile of a tight freestone creek rather than anything to float. Brook trout dominate the record set, with rainbow trout and a kokanee presence tied to the fall spawning run adding to the mix.
Carry the small-freestone box: an Adams, Royal Wulff, small Stimulator and Elk Hair Caddis on top, with a Hare's Ear, Prince and Pheasant Tail underneath. Add a small egg/fry pattern or an olive Woolly Bugger near the lower creek and any kokanee-connected water in the fall. Mayflies, Caddisflies (Sedges) and small Stoneflies cover the general hatch, summer Terrestrials (Hoppers, Ants, Beetles) fill in through the warm months, and kokanee eggs and fry plus small Baitfish & Fry round out the forage base near the spawning reach.
Kokanee spawning: watch, don't wade
Conditions
- Navigability: narrow, moderately steep freestone water (median width ~1.8 m, very narrow; median gradient ~4.38%, moderate to steep; peak mean-annual discharge ~0.245 m³/s, very low flow), consistent with a small trail-corridor creek rather than a float.
- Stocking: no stocking record. Goldie runs on wild and naturally spawning fish, including the kokanee that run up from the Columbia system in fall.
Access and the rules
The Westside Legacy Trail runs along part of Goldie Creek near Invermere and is the main public vantage point on the water; no dedicated fishing access point, parking area or trailhead is confirmed beyond the trail itself, so treat any approach as trail-corridor access rather than a maintained fishing spot. Kootenay Troutfitters is the nearest Columbia Valley guide operation, though no outfitter currently advertises trips dedicated specifically to Goldie Creek. Older shoreline habitat work on Windermere Lake also notes historical Burbot spearing near the Goldie and Windermere Creek mouths, tying the lower creek into the broader lake-edge habitat picture.
