Wilson Creek is a tributary creek flowing into Kootenay River. Recorded fish: Westslope cutthroat, bull trout, rainbow, cutthroat, dolly varden, kokanee.
The water
It flows into Kootenay River within the Kootenay Lake watershed (Kootenay Lake → Kootenay River). It runs stream order 3 (mid-range in the network; the scale runs from 1 for a headwater trickle to 6+ for a river) and roughly 12 km. Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Bull Trout, Rainbow Trout, cutthroat, dolly varden, Kokanee, recorded here in provincial fish-inventory data (9 records).
Stocking
For an angler judging whether the fishing is worth the drive, the stocking record is the fishing report. Wilson Creek is a kokanee program, a mix of forage stocking and a put-and-take sport fishery: 8 recorded releases totalling 691,500 fish (Kokanee, Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout), last stocked 1955-01-01.
Wilson Creek — 691,500 fish stocked, 1925–1955
Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Kokanee. Source: Province of BC — FIDQ / FISS Fish Releases via the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.
| Year | Rainbow Trout | Cutthroat Trout | Kokanee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | · | · | 354,500 |
| 1947 | · | 10,000 | · |
| 1942 | · | · | 200,000 |
| 1940 | · | · | 30,000 |
| 1932 | 20,000 | · | 50,000 |
| 1931 | 17,000 | · | · |
| 1925 | 10,000 | · | · |
Stocking appears to have wound down after 1955. Confirm whether it is still topped up or now fishes as a residual, wild population. The chart below shows the full release history.
The fishing
As a small stream, a tributary of Kootenay River, Wilson 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. The stocking record below is the truest read on what you will catch.
Conditions
- Navigability: not a casual float: whitewater or canyon evidence on this water; treat as wade unless a guide says otherwise (median channel width ~11.7 m, moderate width; median gradient ~2.03%, moderate; peak mean-annual discharge ~17.331 m³/s, moderate flow; canyon-confined sections with ~120 m walls (DEM)).
Access & the rules
Access for Wilson 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.
