No McDonald Creek-specific exception appears in the checked Region 4 extraction, so the regional default applies: streams closed Apr 1 to Jun 14, trout and char catch-and-release from Nov 1 to Mar 31, and a single barbless hook requirement on all streams. Confirm the current synopsis and any in-season notices before fishing.

McDonald Creek's confluence sits at 50.52515, -116.44433, within the wider Horsethief Creek tributary group that also includes Paulding Creek, Stockdale, Bruce, Law, Farnham, Red Line, Gopher, Andreen, Haultain and Fan creeks. It drains toward the Columbia River by way of Horsethief Creek. It runs stream order 5 (well down the network toward river scale, on a system that runs from 1 for a headwater trickle up to 6 or more for a full river) across roughly 126 mapped channel segments. The channel geometry reads narrow to moderate and moderately steep: median width around 8.1 m (narrow to moderate), median gradient around 5.88% (moderate to steep), and peak mean-annual discharge around 2.627 m³/s (low to moderate flow), consistent with a small, wade-only mountain tributary.

The confirmed fish signal here is 9 rainbow trout records, a real and direct population count rather than an inferred one, which sets McDonald apart from Horsethief siblings like Gopher Creek that carry no direct record at all. That said, a small record count from a small tributary does not establish current abundance or the population's connection to Horsethief Creek proper, so treat it as a confirmed presence to scout rather than a proven numbers water. Typical food through the Horsethief system is mayflies, caddisflies, small stoneflies and summer terrestrials, the practical starting point on McDonald until a more specific hatch report turns up.

Small-stream attractors and naturals are the sensible starting point: an Adams, Elk Hair Caddis, Royal Wulff or Stimulator up top, and a Hare's Ear or Prince Nymph and Pheasant Tail underneath.

No named trailhead, put-in or parking area has been confirmed for this McDonald Creek. It sits within the broader Horsethief Creek forest road network in the Columbia Valley, and anyone exploring it should treat approach and land tenure as unconfirmed until checked on the ground.