Parkers Creek is a small, wade-only tributary of Redding Creek in the upper St. Mary River drainage. Provincial fish-inventory data ties it directly to Bull Trout, Rainbow Trout, Westslope Cutthroat Trout and Dolly Varden, plus a run of trout fry that marks this creek as nursery water as much as a fishery.
The water
Parkers Creek carries an official name in the Kootenay Land District, with its mouth at 49.652222, -116.510000. It flows into Redding Creek, which in turn joins the St. Mary River south of Kimberley. The channel is narrow (median width around 6.6 m) with a moderate-to-steep gradient (about 4.2%) and very low flow (peak mean-annual discharge near 0.62 m³/s), the profile of small headwater water: wade or scramble, not float. It sits at stream order 4, mid-range on the 1-to-6+ scale used to describe a network's position between a headwater trickle (1) and a full river (6 or higher).
The fishing
Provincial data records 17 direct fish observations here: 5 Bull Trout, 4 Rainbow Trout, 3 Westslope Cutthroat Trout, 2 Dolly Varden and 3 trout fry. That mix of trout, char and fry makes Parkers useful evidence of connected coldwater habitat in the Redding system, but there is no dedicated guide coverage or fishing-report record for the creek itself. St. Mary River mainstem operators are the nearest regional context, not proof that this small tributary fishes well on its own.
Treat the fry records as a reason to fish carefully rather than a target to chase. The Rainbow Trout records have not been confirmed as resident fish, incidental strays from the St. Mary system, or hybrid-adjacent fish, so photograph and release any rainbow-cutthroat-looking catch conservatively rather than assuming identification.
The nearest verified East Kootenay hatch calendar (shared across the St. Mary drainage) points to small Stoneflies, Mayflies and Caddisflies (Sedges) through summer, with midges and Terrestrials (Hoppers, Ants, Beetles) filling in as water warms, plus fry and tiny sculpin where habitat allows. On a creek this small, match the hatch down: small Adams and Royal Wulff for attractor dry work, a Stimulator or Elk Hair Caddis for caddis activity, and a Hare's Ear, Pheasant Tail or Prince Nymph under an indicator in deeper pockets.
Fry water: fish it light
Access and the rules
No named public access point, pull-off or trailhead is confirmed for Parkers Creek. Redding Creek Road, which links St. Mary Lake Road to Grey Creek Pass, runs through this general drainage but that is travel context for the area, not a confirmed fishing access point on Parkers itself. Confirm current land status and legal access before planning a trip.
Before you fish
Conditions
- Navigability: narrow, moderate-to-steep, low-flow headwater water (median width ~6.6 m, narrow; gradient ~4.2%, moderate-to-steep; peak mean-annual discharge ~0.62 m³/s, very low flow). Wade or scramble only, consistent with a small tributary rather than a fishable float.
- Stocking: no stocking record. It runs entirely on wild fish.
