Fishing Around St. George: Where to Drop a Line

Southern Utah offers two genuinely different kinds of fishing within an hour of each other, separated entirely by elevation.

Get the licence first

A Utah fishing licence is required, available from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and short-term options exist for visitors.

Regulations vary by water and by season — limits, permitted methods and special rules differ between individual reservoirs. Check the current rules for the specific water you intend to fish rather than assuming a statewide position.

Warm water, close to town

Quail Creek is the standout: a genuine fishing destination rather than an incidental one, stocked and managed as such, with both bass and trout, and it fishes through the year. Its warm water is why the bass fishing works.

Sand Hollow fishes well but is busy with powerboats and wake sports at weekends — early mornings and the shoulder seasons are far better.

Gunlock is quieter and less pressured, in empty country northwest of the city.

Baker Dam is small, low-key and easy.

Cold water, an hour uphill

Pine Valley reservoir sits several thousand feet above the valley in pine forest — cooler water, a different set of species, and a completely different day out. In high summer this is the comfortable option.

Kolob Reservoir, higher again, is seasonal and worth the drive when open.

The elevation difference is the point: when the valley is unbearable, the fishing an hour north is pleasant.

Timing

Spring and autumn are prime across the region.

Summer means dawn and dusk on the low reservoirs, or going up in elevation.

Winter fishing continues on the warm-water reservoirs and is quiet; higher waters may be inaccessible.

Practical

• Shore access is good at the state parks, so a boat is not required.
• Afternoon wind on the open reservoirs is reliable — mornings are calmer and better.
• Shade is minimal. Take your own, and treat sun as equipment. See desert hiking safety.
• State park day-use fees apply at Quail Creek, Sand Hollow and Gunlock.
• Take everything out, including line, which is genuinely dangerous to birds.

Shore or boat?

Shore fishing is genuinely viable here, which is not true of every reservoir region. The state parks have accessible banks, and at Quail Creek in particular you can fish productively without a boat.

A boat opens up the larger water at Sand Hollow and lets you get away from the weekend crowds, but it is an addition rather than a requirement.

What the two elevations actually give you

The practical difference is not only temperature.

Low, warm reservoirs — bass fishing that stays productive through much of the year, with winter often quiet and rewarding.

High, cold water — a different set of species and a different season, at its best when the valley is unbearable.

Anglers who fish here year-round tend to move between the two rather than choosing one, which is the real advantage of the region: the season never fully closes, it just moves uphill and back down again.

A note on the water itself

Levels on the reservoirs vary with the year's precipitation, and low water changes access, launch ramps and where fish hold. Check current conditions before a long drive, particularly after a dry winter.