The Field Journal
Rivers & Lakes · Tributary Creek

Stevens Creek

A creek in the Lower Arrow Lake watershed, a tributary of Whatshan River, holding Bull Trout, Rainbow and Dolly Varden in provincial fish-inventory records.

Stevens Creek is a tributary creek flowing into Whatshan River. Recorded fish: bull trout, rainbow, dolly varden, kokanee, mtn whitefish, brook trout.

The water

It flows into Whatshan River within the Lower Arrow Lake watershed (Lower Arrow Lake → 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 15 km. Bull Trout, Rainbow Trout, dolly varden, Kokanee, Mountain Whitefish, Brook Trout, recorded here in provincial fish-inventory data (7 records).

The fishing

As a small stream, a tributary of Whatshan River, Stevens 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
Lower Arrow Lake watershed
straighten
Stream order 4
~15 km
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Bull Trout and Rainbow
7 records
footprint
Wade / Technical

Conditions

  • Navigability: wade / technical: steep gradient, pocket water (median channel width ~8.7 m, moderate width; median gradient ~6.64%, steep; peak mean-annual discharge ~2.786 m³/s, low flow).

Access & the rules

Access for Stevens 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 Whatshan River system.. Official synopsis: gov.bc.ca fishing regulations.