The Field Journal
Rivers & Lakes · Tributary Creek

Grave Creek

A creek in the Elk River watershed, a tributary of Elk River, holding Westslope Cutthroat, Bull Trout and Rainbow in provincial fish-inventory records.

Grave Creek is a tributary creek flowing into Elk River. Recorded fish: Westslope cutthroat, bull trout, rainbow, cutthroat, dolly varden, kokanee.

The water

It flows into Elk River within the Elk River watershed (Elk River → Kootenay River). It runs stream order 5 (well down the network, toward river scale; the scale runs from 1 for a headwater trickle to 6+ for a river) and roughly 11 km. Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Bull Trout, Rainbow Trout, cutthroat, dolly varden, Kokanee, recorded here in provincial fish-inventory data (44 records). Named tributaries in the index: Harmer Creek.

The fishing

As a small stream, a tributary of Elk River, Grave 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
Elk River watershed
straighten
Stream order 5
~11 km
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Westslope Cutthroat and Bull Trout
44 records
footprint
Wade / Technical

Conditions

  • Navigability: wade / technical: steep gradient, pocket water (median channel width ~5.6 m, moderate width; median gradient ~4.92%, steep; peak mean-annual discharge ~0.52 m³/s, very low flow).

Access & the rules

Access for Grave 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 Elk River system.. Official synopsis: gov.bc.ca fishing regulations.