Angler chat rooms and e-mails started last week with questions about the need for high flows on the middle Provo in the late summer. Some wondered if the water was turned up at Jordanelle in an effort to benefit June suckers on the lower Provo near Utah Lake.

Officials with the Central Utah Water Conservancy District say they have been holding water in Jordanelle as part of a planned phase for work being done by the Bureau of Reclamation on the dam at Deer Creek Reservoir.

"The low flows leading up to this are a result of us holding as much water as we could. We are now trying to balance things out at Deer Creek and pulling more water from Jordanelle," said Chris Finlinson, a governmental-affairs official with the Central Utah Water Conservancy District.

One of the reasons for the flows is to help ensure water quality in Deer Creek, a source of drinking water. Cold water from the middle Provo will help the fish in the reservoir and stave off water-quality issues.

Anglers are complaining the high flows are hindering fishing. The fishing conditions on the middle Provo in the Heber Valley may not be what anglers have come to expect in August, but that doesn't mean the fish are gone.

Division of Wildlife Resources officials say the high flows are not affecting the fish; the changes are affecting the anglers.

High flows this time of year might be a good thing. More water means more habitat for fish and the aquatic life they depend on for sustenance. There have been some late-summer, high-water-temperature issues in the lower stretches of the middle Provo in the past.

Fisheries biologists say they will know of any negative effects if the flows drop by mid-October and if they are able to conduct a scheduled survey on the middle Provo.

Anglers may need to change their methods and expect deeper and faster water, but the fish haven't gone anywhere and they still need to eat.

The same is true about the fish in Deer Creek. Wildlife officials say the biggest concern for that fishery is angler access.

Mike Slater of the DWR doesn't expect any die-offs in the reservoir due to the low water, but he believes insect production will drop significantly because there is no longer any living vegetation in the reservoir.

He suggests anglers who frequent Deer Creek take the opportunity to study the reservoir while the water is low so they can focus on areas with likely fish-holding habitat when the levels return to normal.

Slater also thinks the fall fishing at Deer Creek, particularly where the Provo flows into the reservoir, could be outstanding this year.

Work on the Deer Creek dam is scheduled at least through summer 2008.

brettp@sltrib.com