Deer Creek largemouth bass fishing at its finest
A Largemouth Bass caught with a senko at Deer Creek

Description:

Deer Creek Reservoir is located on the lower Provo River at the top of Provo Canyon, only about 25 minutes from the Provo/Orem area. The entire shoreline of Deer Creek is publicly owned, and access is completely unrestricted. There are two main boat ramps, one at the state park, and the other at Rainbow Bay (near the island).

Water levels fluctuate annually based on yearly snowpack and runoff totals as well as water usage by downstream water users for both culinary and agricultural uses. The fluctuation in water levels also affects fish populations and many species of fish tend to go in boom and bust cycles.

For example, perch populations grow substantially during high water years when there are lots of rocky and weedy shoreline areas in which they can spawn and survive predation long enough. Smallmouth and largemouth bass populations follow a similar trend. When water levels decline, there is nowhere for young fish to hide and they quickly fall prey to large predatory fish such as walleye, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and brown trout.

Deer Creek is a very popular water for Utahns who like to boat and fish, due to its close proximity to the Wasatch Front and its easy access. It is located in the Heber Valley, at a crossroads of sorts between other fishing destinations such as Strawberry Reservoir, Jordanelle Reservoir, and Utah Lake.

Walleye are probably the most extreme example of boom and bust cycles. In good water years, prey species (which include yellow perch, young smallmouth bass, bluegill, and trout) multiply dramatically. This causes a corresponding increase in Walleye populations. During drought years, or after the predator population gets too large, they literally eat themselves out of house and home, and this causes a crash in the prey populations. Once the prey base has dwindled, the walleye themselves crash, and then the cycle continues.

Fish Species:

Current Regulations:

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