Findlay Creek

River
79.8 km
Mapped channels
Findlay Creek is a tributary creek flowing into kootenay river. Recorded fish: Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout.
No live gauge
No gauge readings are available for this water.
Season
Driving directions

At a glance

Fact
Details
Type
Tributary Creek
Watershed
St. Mary River
Size
stream order 6, ~81 km
Fish
Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout and Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout
Water
Driftable With Caution

Region 4 Regulations — guide reviewed 2026-07-31

Confirm the current BC freshwater fishing regulations (Region 4 – Kootenay) before you fish; this water is part of the Kootenay River system.

Measurements

Measurement
Reported value
Median channel width
27.6 m
Median channel gradient
0.97 %
Mean annual discharge estimate
11.777 m³/s

The water

It flows into kootenay river within the St. Mary River watershed (St. Mary River → Kootenay River). It runs stream order 6 (well down the network, toward river scale; the scale runs from 1 for a headwater trickle to 6+ for a river) and roughly 81 km. brook trout, rainbow trout, Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout, recorded here in provincial fish-inventory data (59 records). Named tributaries: doctor creek, lavington creek, middle findlay creek, alton creek, Granite Creek, Deer Creek, frying pan creek, periwinkle creek, clear creek, allen creek, valentine creek.

The fishing

As a small stream, a tributary of Kootenay River, Findlay 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.
Fact
Details
Tributary Creek
St. Mary River watershed
Stream order 6
~81 km
Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout
59 records
Driftable With Caution

Conditions

•
Navigability: driftable with caution: wide, low-gradient sections suit a float/raft, but rated rapids or canyon-confined reaches interrupt them; check the drift map (median channel width ~27.6 m, broad; median gradient ~0.97%, very gentle; peak mean-annual discharge ~11.777 m³/s, moderate flow; canyon-confined sections with ~198 m walls (DEM)).

Access & the rules

Access for Findlay 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.

Before you fish

Confirm the current BC freshwater fishing regulations (Region 4 – Kootenay) before you go This water is part of the Kootenay River system.. Official synopsis: gov.bc.ca fishing regulations.
Page reviewed 2026-07-31