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Show South Utah fishing not nip to expectation reduced when water temperatures are colder, which is what happens when runoff builds water levels to high points. Fish tend to be less active and, therefore, feed less aggressively in colder water. Rain also keeps water temperatures cooler. Both runoff and rain showers cause reservoir waters to be more turbid and muddy. This action causes trout to more open-water situation. "This depth is an average estimate, however," Leppink added, ad-ded, "since food production also depends on the depth of light penentration and the photosynthesis process that occurs in the depths where sunlight reaches." Food produced by the photosynthesis process is a vital part of the reservoirs food chain. On a positive note, fishermen can take heart in the fact that most streams in southern Utah are now beginning to drop, and the higher elevation lakes are opening up, making access possible to both fish stocking trucks and anglers alike! Almost all waters in southwestern Utah have been stocked at least once this summer. Many popular fishing spots in Southwestern Utah have not produced the kind of fishing success fishermen hoped for or Wildlife Resource fisheries managers ex-. ex-. pected. High water levels, primarily from spring runoff and greater-than usual spring, rainfall, are largely responsible. High water in reservoirs reser-voirs affect fishing in different ways. In a strictly physical way, reservoirs which are filled obviously create more space for fish to occupy, making it more difficult for anglers to locate them. Lower water levels would tend to concentrate fish and make it easier for fishermen to put a hook in front of their noses. Incoming water brings to reservoirs an increased flow of nutrients, which increase the natural food production of the reservoir. The more natural food available, the easier it is for fish to find food and the less likely they are to be hungry when the angler's offering is presented. Nutrient levels decrease when the primary water inflow comes from springs. Feeding activity of fish in a reservoir is also strongly depend on their sense of smell to find food instead of using sight and smell to locate feed-reducing feed-reducing the odds of them finding baits, particularly artificial lures. High winds, which are common in this area, help to mix oxygen in the water, positively af-. fecting production of food, driving fish below the surface to feed and affecting turbidity as well. Utah Wildlife Resources Fisheries Biologist John Leppink indicated that fish would now most likely be using the "intermediate zones," about 15 feet deep, in most reservoirs. This area is between lower levels of water in which oxygen is low or depleted, and the surface, where oxygen is constantly con-stantly replenished in an |