Boating Deer Creek Reservoir

By Utah Outdoor Activities

Deer Creek Reservoir is located just minutes up Provo Canyon and/or just southwest of Heber UT.  This reservoir is my favorite lake to spend the day boating on, with Deer Creek only 45 minutes from the Salt Lake valley, it s not only convenient, but an affordable place to spend the day on the water.  This is an all around recreational water, whether you fish, ski, swim, wind surf or just float around Deer Creek offers it all.

For the fisherman pop gear and a worm have always worked for us.  We usually have no problem bringing in our limit of 14 to 16 inch trout.  The Walleye are always a challenge, but they can be had with a bottom bouncer and a worm, and lets not forget those pesky perch, they love worms, small jigs and spinners. Once you locate them the action can be very fast.  The north end of the lake were the Provo river comes in seems to be the favorite spot for the walleye, skiing this end of the reservoir is also very popular due to the warmer water, so it can get a little hectic at times.  We usually locate the Trout along the west shore in about 50 feet of water, however that does change due to the water temperatures.  Okay so fishing is still fishing, you have to hunt down the fish because they are not going to be in the same place or want to eat the same thing from week to week.

As for Skiing and wakeboarding early morning or early evening are your best bets for good water.  Deer Creek is infamous for its afternoon winds; you could almost set a clock to them.  They usually start around one and last through about four.  This is a great time to break out those tubes, water wienies, and jet ski’s, the water isn’t unskiable for those die hards, but you have to be just that a die hard!!  I like to find a quite cove to have lunch, a siesta, work on my perch limit, and let the kids take a break from the boat.  It works out well for all of us, and after the winds slow down were ready to head back out on the water.  Deer Creek is a very popular reservoir, so if you plan to go on a weekend plan on sharing the water with many other boaters.  If you want to enjoy Deer Creek without all the traffic visit it during the week, you will find you almost have the whole lake to yourself.  And remember all boaters enjoy different activities, so respect one another, be safe and have a great day on the water.  

For more information about the facilities offered at Deer Creek Reservoir Click Here.