No individual Index Creek entry appears in the Region 4 table. On paper it would fall under the broader Trout Lake tributary rule (bull trout catch-and-release where present), but the regional index marks the creek no-sportfish outright. Confirm the current synopsis if fishing nearby.

Index Creek carries an official name in the Kootenay Land District, recorded by NRCan Geographical Names (key JACLX, map sheet 082K11) at 50.691389, -117.306389. It flows into Gainer Creek, a minor tributary on the east side of that drainage, which in turn feeds Lardeau Creek toward Trout Lake. It runs stream order 2 (near the bottom of the network, on a scale that runs from 1 for a headwater trickle up to 6 or more for a full river), stretches roughly 1 km, and carries zero direct fish observations in the provincial index, consistent with its no-sportfish designation. No bcfishpass channel-geometry record exists for a creek this short, so there is no width, gradient or discharge figure to report.

MINFILE records place the Hidden Treasure prospect on Index Creek, part of the Ferguson mining country's old workings and claims. That context is useful for access and hazard awareness only, not fish or water-quality evidence.

With no confirmed sportfish, no guide coverage and no individual regulation entry, there is nothing here to recommend as a destination. The wider Gainer Creek branch that Index feeds carries only inferred Lardeau sportfish context itself, not a proven fishery, so this small tributary is best treated as map orientation and habitat context within the Gainer drainage rather than a place to plan a day around.

There is no fishery to organize access around here. No named trailhead, parking area or confirmed public access point has turned up for Index Creek, and the old Hidden Treasure workings mean any visit is backcountry routefinding rather than a maintained trail. Anyone scouting the Gainer Creek drainage toward Lardeau Creek and Trout Lake should note the broader Region 4 tributary rules apply on paper to any bull trout encountered nearby, even though Index Creek itself carries no confirmed population.