The big
bull trout of the Peace country spend most of the year in big water, in the Peace itself and the Halfway River. Then, as summer runs out, they turn west and climb into the foothills, and a good share of them end up in Cypress Creek, a long tributary far from any town. It is one of the main spawning streams for that migratory run, and the reason a fly angler would drive this far.
Geesdale Creek splits it in two. Below that junction the lower creek runs for its last stretch down to the upper Halfway, with a gravel road of its own name following it and a tributary called Robertson Creek joining partway. Above Geesdale the creek climbs on into roadless foothills toward its source.
The lower creek is where to begin. The road puts you within reach of the water, and this is the stretch the migrating fish must pass through before they reach their gravel. Bull trout are the reason to come, and every one goes back.
Rainbow trout and
Arctic grayling both live in the Halfway system and turn up in the neighbouring Graham River, and whether they hold in Cypress Creek too is a question the creek leaves you to answer with a rod. Fish the runs and pools within walking distance of the road in summer, before the big fish arrive, and you may find out.
The upper creek, above Geesdale, lies beyond the road in grizzly country, and getting there is on foot or by quad. Leave it until you know the lower creek and the roads that get you there.
Late summer is when the run arrives, and with it the hard part of fishing here: those fish are on their way to spawn. Fish the holding water and leave the gravel they are building on alone.
Take the Cypress Creek road in and work upstream from the first good pool you can reach.
Fish in this water
Each fish is rated by its strongest evidence. A rating says how sure we are a fish is here, not how many there are, whether it is worth fishing for or whether you may keep it.
Confirmed
Recorded on this water in the last 15 years, or named for it by a fishery agency, its fishing rules or a fishing publication.
Likely
Older records here, recent stocking, a local guide or fly shop, a guide listing, or recent records on connected water nearby.
Water and habitat
A bull trout spawning stream has to run cold and carry clean gravel, and that sets Cypress Creek apart from the muddy prairie rivers to the east. Migratory bull trout use its clean gravel to spawn, and on the way up they rest in the deepest water they can find: plunge pools, the slow water under cut banks and log jams, and the heads of runs where a riffle drops into depth. Those are the places to look. The shallow, even gravel at the tails of pools is where spawning happens, and it is best left alone.
Fish and forage
Bull trout here are part of the Peace and Halfway migratory population, large river fish that travel a long way to reach this creek. The run has been recovering, helped by conservative angling rules. In the creek, bull trout feed on smaller fish such as sculpins and young whitefish, so a streamer is the fly that matches them. Rainbows and grayling, if you find them, will feed on drifting insects and rise to a dry fly in the clear water of summer.
When to fish it
Spring runoff makes the creek high and cold, so begin once it drops and clears, usually by July. July and August on the lower creek, below Geesdale, are the months for searching the pools for resident trout and grayling. Bull trout usually arrive as summer ends and spawn into early autumn. By October the water is low enough that the nearby Chowade River can be waded in places, and the first snow is not far behind.
How to fish it
One fly at a time is the law here. For bull trout, start with a weighted sculpin or a dark streamer of a size that looks like a meal. Cast upstream and across into the head of a pool, let it sink close to the bottom, then swing it through the deepest slot and strip it back in short pulls. If a fish follows and refuses, go bigger and heavier. A bull trout that will not move has had enough, so walk on to the next pool.
For trout and grayling, fish a size 14 or 16 Elk Hair Caddis on the riffles and the seams beside them, and change to a small Adams if they rise and refuse it. Approach from downstream and keep low, since this water is clear and the fish see you long before you see them. Land a bull trout quickly and keep it wet: it has a long way still to go.
Access and safety
The creek is a long drive from anywhere. The Cypress Creek road follows the lower creek; it has been reported in good shape, but a bridge past Big Creek was pulled, and beyond that point you need a quad. The other way into the upper Halfway country is the Upper Halfway Road, which runs west from the Fort St. John side; a recreation site at the meeting of the Halfway and Graham rivers, about 50 km along it, has camping, though one site beside the Graham is closed because the bank has eroded. Road and bridge conditions change from year to year, so ask locally before you commit to a route.
This is grizzly and black bear country, with moose, elk and caribou, and no services once you leave the highway. Weather in the foothills changes quickly. Carry bear spray, boil or filter creek water, and tell someone where you are going.
Regulations
Cypress Creek has no listing of its own in the Peace region’s water-specific table, so the region and province rules govern it. Every stream in this zone carries a bait ban and requires a single barbless hook all year. Bull trout from the Peace watershed must be released all year. Trout and char come under a daily quota of 5, of which no more than 2 may come from streams and only 1 may be over 50 cm. Every fish from a stream must be released from 1 April to 15 May, and rainbow trout from streams from 1 May to 15 June. Possession is two daily quotas for most species. You need a basic licence from age 16. Check the regulations for grayling, whitefish and any in-season changes before you fish.
Downstream the creek feeds the upper Halfway, and up the valley the Chowade River draws the same bull trout run.