Cave Creek is a tributary of Gardner Canyon and also drains off the east side of the Santa Rita Mountains north of Sonoita. Cave Canyon supports a small population of longfin dace just upstream of the confluence with Gardner Canyon. A stock pond (Sweetwater Dam) in the Cave Creek drainage was renovated in 2020 to remove non-native mosquitofish and goldfish. Longfin dace from Gardner Canyon were later stocked to deter further introductions of non-native fish.
