Utah DWR biologists say the hot, dry weather has local bears moving around and that cause them to have more contact with humans. They provided the news release below:

Hot, Dry Weather Could Increase Problems with Bears

DWR provides tips to keep you and the bears safe

The hot, dry weather Utah is experiencing could increase the chance that a black bear wanders into your camp site or cabin area this summer.

John Shivik, mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says the dry conditions have reduced the amount of natural vegetation that’s available to the bears. Not having enough natural vegetation forces the bears to wander more in search of food. “The wandering they’re doing increases the chance that a bear will come into your camp site or cabin area this summer,” Shivik says.

Fortunately, Shivik says you can do several things to lessen the chance that a bear picks your camp site or cabin area as a place to wander into:

• Store your food and scented items, such as deodorants and tooth paste, in areas where bears can’t get them. Inside a trailer or in the trunk of your car are good choices.

• Keep your cooking grill clean. And clean anything you used to prepare, eat or clean up food.

• Keep your campsite or cabin area clean. Don’t toss food scraps and other trash around.

• Never feed a bear.

Bear safety tips

More tips on how to stay safe in bear country, including what to do if you encounter a bear while hiking, are available at http://go.usa.gov/WDW.

Wild Aware Utah also provides information about bear safety. You can access the information at www.wildawareutah.org.

“Even if it isn’t a dry year,” Shivik says, “you should always follow these tips. Bears are always searching for food.”

You’ll be helping others too

Shivik says if you follow these rules, you’ll not only help yourself, you’ll help others too.

He says a bear may not visit your campsite while you’re there. But the food you leave out and the litter you leave behind could bring a bear to that same area after you leave. And that could create a serious problem for people who camp in the area after you.

I fished Diamond Fork on Saturday and found tough conditions. The water was high and chalky. We each caught one fish.

A couple weeks ago we fished Upper Sixth Water and had a great time catching nice browns. The water was fast but fishable.

Yesterday we went exploring and found the spillway where water dumps into Sixth Water via a pipe from Strawberry Reservoir. They were pushing a tremendous volume of water through the pipe and the upper river was virtually unfishable.

We dropped back down onto Diamond Fork and gave it a good shot but action was slow in the high, chalky water.

Other Areas

We're hearing reports of some good trips to Strawberry. Some groups report catching 20 or more fish in an afternoon.

But Strawberry is fickle. Others report only fair or slow fishing. There is a tremendous insect hatch going on right now and the fish are finding plenty of forage. At this time of year people seem to have the best luck fishing baits, or trolling minnow-imitations in the early morning or late evening.

Uinta Mountains are opening up early this year. You can now get to many lakes in the high country. There is still some snow and mud over higher passes but they will dry out quickly now.

Boulder Mountain conditions are good - this is a great time to fish the high country.

Lake Powell stripers are starting to feed on the surface. "Boils" are still small and fleeting right now but will become more consistent over the next few weeks. Late July and early August will bring the best boil fishing.

Many other waters now offer good fishing.

At Lake Powell, anglers anxiously await the heat of summer when shad grow big enough to attract hungry stripers. The aggressive predators chase the shad near the surface and make the water appear to boil. It is still early in the year but boils are now starting in many spots on the lake. The action will get better each week until it peaks in late July or early August.

The fishing report on wayneswords.com is the key source of current information about fishing at Powell. Now's the time to plan a Powell trip. Be sure to check Wayne's report before you head out.

Wayne provided this information.

Warm Creek traffic lane from Castle Rock Cut to Main Channel. Boils of yearling stripers start mid morning about the same time the houseboats are on the move through Warm Creek. It’s a real circus casting between boats and bouncing over wakes but these are the most catchable boil fish close by. They also come up in the evening for the last hour of light.

Padre Bay yearlings boil mid morning on most days, but not everyday. Normally start time is 9 AM (MST)

Last Chance and Rock Creek only very early and late slurps but these are larger fish when the come up in low light. They can be caught more often trolling than boiling.

Reflection Canyon. Striper school, 4-pound size class, near three partially submerged boulders in the channel near mouth of Reflection. Boil only quickly in the evening after the sun goes behind the ridge. Can be caught trolling near the same submerged rock reef.

I was recently in Page for meetings with members of the Grand Circle Association and I was invited to tour Antelope Canyon. I jumped at the chance - I've always wanted to shoot photos there but had never taken the time to schedule a tour. I had a great time and got a few nice photos.

Antelope is one of the most famous slot canyons. It has smooth walls that are sculpted into interesting shapes. During the middle of the day, beams of sunlight penetrate to the canyon floor and cause the walls to glow. It is a sublime sight.

Antelope Canyon is located on Navajo Nation land and visitors are required to go with a Native American Guide. I went with Antelope Canyon Tours, out of Page, and their guide made sure we had a good experience. I know the owner and she runs a top notch business.

Antelope Canyon Tours also sells hand-crafted items. They sell beads and other materials and give classes so people can learn to make their own necklaces and other jewelry.

I was able to get the photos that illustrate this post. I also shot video and put together the clip you see below.

I took a quick trip to Sixth Water this afternoon and really enjoyed it. Saw some new territory, fished new water and caught lots of nice browns. Good times.

Sixth Water is becoming my favorite stream close to the Wasatch Front. It is beautiful, medium-sized, and usually has clear, cold water. It is relatively unknown and sees only a handful of fishermen. I often have great success there.

We arrived about 5 pm. I zipped open my fly rod tube and, surprise, no rod. Apparently I did not return the rod to its protective tube after my Memorial Day trip. In my haste today I just grabbed the tube.

We fished the East Fork of the Sevier River in Black Canyon over Memorial Day Weekend and found good action. Most of the fish we caught were browns running 10-12 inches. We also caught a couple cutts and one rainbow. We saw larger fish but didn't catch any of them.

The water was clear and was low for this time of year.

We also fished Antimony Creek and had great fun catching small brook trout. Both streams are friendly to new fly fishermen. They both flow through rugged canyons and are overgrown, but when you get a fly onto the water the fish are willing.

Conditions should be similar on most other Utah streams. Streams in the Uinta Mountains are still high and may have difficult conditions but they will settle down quickly now.

Smallmouth bass are now providing very good fishing in Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Flaming Gorge and other northern Utah waters.

The East Fork of the Sevier flows south from the Bryce Canyon area. Hwy 22 follows the stream for many miles through Black Canyon, south of the town of Antimony, south of Otter Creek Reservoir. DWR has been working to improve habitat and fisherman access in Black Canyon. That section is restricted to artificial flies and lures only - no natural bait.

There are many deep holes with slow moving water in the canyon and the fish often hold deep. To catch them consistently you need to get your flies or lures down near the bottom, and that can be difficult.

On this trip we slept in and then fished the canyon during the middle of the day and we could only entice small fisher to bite. On previous trips I've done well during the later evening, when larger fish become more active. The stream often produces browns and cutts around 18 inches, with an occasional larger fish.

We then drove up Antimony Creek, way up the creek. From the south side of the town of Antimony, a paved road follows the stream up into the National Forest. As the road enters the forest it becomes dirt and becomes very rugged. The stream is small, clear and cold and supports a high number of fish per mile. In the lower section of the forest, the stream produces many fish around 12 inches, and a few larger.

We drove farther upstream. The road eventually crosses the steam and then, essentially, becomes an ATV trail. We were in my brother's Jeep and we drove up the narrow road, across obstacles that would turn back most vehicles. We were exploring new country and found fast action. Up that high, most of the fish were brook trout and were small - under 10 inches. Still, it was fun to catch them.

We drove as far as we dared in the Jeep. Now we want to go back with dirt bikes and explore further up the canyon.

- Dave Webb

Oh, our second photo shows rattle snake rattles we found in Black Canyon. No snakes, just the rattles. In previous trips we are seen a few of the snakes.

Utah's DWR is hosting a wildlife viewing event on Saturday, June 9, where people will have the chance to view big cutthroat trout swimming up the Strawberry River above the reservoir.

See more details about this event.

A DWR gill net survey at Fish Lake turned up 2 big tiger muskie, as well as numerous rainbows, splake and lake trout. Below are details the DWR released about the study.

(Utah's DWR provided this news release:)

If you're looking for a fun activity that's outdoors and close to home, mark June 2 on your calendar. June 2 is Free Fishing Day in Utah. You won't need a fishing license to fish in the state that day.

One of the most anticipated fishing events is the cicada hatch on the Green River. Steve Schmidt at Western Rivers Flyfisher reports that the big bugs are now starting to provide good fishing.