The Field Journal
Rivers & Lakes · Tributary Creek

Kotsats Creek

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

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

The water

It flows into White River within the Kootenay River watershed (Kootenay River → Columbia 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 6 km. Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Bull Trout, Rainbow Trout, dolly varden, recorded here in provincial fish-inventory data (2 records).

The fishing

As a small stream, a tributary of White River, Kotsats 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 River watershed
straighten
Stream order 4
~6 km
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Westslope Cutthroat and Bull Trout
2 records
footprint
Wade Water

Conditions

  • Navigability: wade water: narrow channel, fish on foot (median channel width ~3.9 m, narrow; median gradient ~7.94%, steep; peak mean-annual discharge ~0.425 m³/s, very low flow).

Access & the rules

Access for Kotsats 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 White River system.. Official synopsis: gov.bc.ca fishing regulations.