Deer Creek Reservoir

Deer Creek fills the head of Provo Canyon below Heber Valley, at about 5,400 feet, and lets the Provo River out the bottom into the Lower Provo, one of Utah's busiest tailwaters. It covers about 2,900 acres when full and sits in Deer Creek State Park. The canyon funnels a strong wind across it most afternoons, which is why the sailboats and kiteboarders come.

For a fly angler the north end is the place. The Provo comes in near Charleston and Deer Creek Island, and its cold water and food draw rainbows and browns into the shallow arm, best in spring and fall from a float tube or the bank. Smallmouth hold on the rocky shores through summer, and walleye feed in the low light. Fish the mornings before the canyon wind comes up. Trout follow the statewide limit, and any black bullhead you catch must be killed.