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

It flows into columbia river within the Upper Arrow Lake watershed (Upper Arrow Lake → Columbia River). It runs stream order 4 (mid-range in the network; the scale runs from 1 for a headwater trickle to 6+ for a river) and roughly 15 km. brook trout, bull trout, burbot, Cutthroat Trout, kokanee, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, mountain whitefish, rainbow trout, Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout, white sturgeon, yellow perch, recorded here in provincial fish-inventory data (137 records). Named tributaries: dolan creek.

As a small stream, a tributary of Columbia River, Tonkawatla 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.

Access for Tonkawatla 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.