Quail Creek Reservoir
Today’s report
Quail Creek Reservoir is a fair bet today. The reservoir is 57% full as of September 30 (the operator posts a month-end level, not daily), about normal for the date, and drawing down over the last month. The DWR last stocked rainbow trout (5,050 fish) on February 19. Today's forecast: sunny, 76°F.
- calm, fishable weather
Fishing Quail Creek Reservoir: what to know
Quail Creek is a 600-acre reservoir in a red-rock basin northeast of St. George, in a state park with a ramp, beaches, and shore access. It's a two-season fishery: warm-water largemouth, bluegill, and crappie in summer, and stocked rainbow trout that fish well through the mild southern-Utah winter.
Trout are stocked in the cool months and bite from shore November through March. Bass and bluegill take over as the water warms in April, spawn in May, and fish through October — early and late in the summer heat. It never freezes.
Trout: PowerBait, worms, or a small spoon from shore in winter. Bass: plastics along the rocky drop-offs and crankbaits at dawn. Bluegill and crappie: small jigs around the brush. Standard limits with a bass size rule — check below.
Current conditions
Stocking
Last stocked Feb 19, 2026 — rainbow trout (5,050 fish).
| Date | Species | Quantity | Avg length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 19, 2026 | rainbow trout | 5,050 | 4.96" |
| Feb 9, 2026 | rainbow trout | 17,940 | 4.47" |
| Nov 5, 2025 | rainbow trout | 4,680 | 12.11" |
| Nov 5, 2025 | rainbow trout | 4,628 | 12.11" |
| Oct 21, 2025 | rainbow trout | 6,825 | 10.32" |
| Oct 20, 2025 | rainbow trout | 13,545 | 10.32" |
| Oct 31, 2024 | rainbow trout | 8,030 | 10.65" |
| Oct 30, 2024 | rainbow trout | 11,183 | 10.24" |
Best time to fish Quail Creek Reservoir
The DWR has stocked Quail Creek Reservoir 18 times over the last 4 seasons, and 100% of those plants landed in February, October, November — the freshest fish and the easiest bite usually follow within a week or two of a stocking.
Species
Location
Nearby waters (within ~25 mi):
Regulations
- No limit on smallmouth bass. Anglers must not release any smallmouth bass they catch. All smallmouth bass must be immediately killed.
- Limit 6 largemouth bass of any size
Special rules from the 2026 Utah Fishing Guidebook. Statewide daily limits apply to anything not listed. Rules change — always verify in the current guidebook before you fish.