Most bass anglers don't think of Utah as a hotbed for bass fishing. Even though Lake Powell is considered one of the finest bass waterways in the country, the misperception remains. After all, most anglers think bass aren't suppose to live in the mountains, or desert, for that matter.

Southern Utah has warmer water and a longer growing season than most lakes in the state. The result is big bass in early spring. Photo by Jamie Cyphers.

As a result, most other Utah waters get little attention from national media.

For Beehive bassers, that's just fine! We have quite a few spectacular lakes all to ourselves. Most of them have feisty smallmouths, some which reach up to 7 or 8 pounds. A handful of these smaller reservoirs produce nice largemouths, and in southern Utah, they are big largemouths.

Southern Utah, affectionately called Utah's Dixie, offers three well-above-average bass fisheries: Gunlock, Quail Creek and Sand Hollow reservoirs. Each has earned reputations regionally for its big Northern-strain largemouths.

With warmer waters than most Utah lakes and a longer growing season, these three watersheds consistently produce fish in the 8- to 9-pound range. Each year, anglers catch some close to the state-record 10-pound, 2-ouncer.

In fact, Quail Creek Reservoir produced the Utah catch-and-release state record, a 12-pound, 4-ounce bruiser that Dennis Miller of Las Vegas, caught on a large trout-imitation swimbait.

3 FACES OF DIXIE'S BASS
Gunlock Reservoir is the oldest of the three lakes, and while absolutely gorgeous, it's by no means the prettiest of the trio. Of course, in any area that borders majestic mountains to the north and the famous red rocks of the Grand Canyon to the southeast, you would expect the country to be breathtaking, and in fact, it is. Gunlock is situated in the high desert just 17 miles northwest of St. George, Utah, at the very base of Pine Valley.

Impounded in 1970, the lake has been a consistent producer of big largemouths. At only 290 acres, it's the smallest of the trio. It is only about 40 feet deep. (Continued)

But its numerous cuts and abundant cover make perfect habitat for big bass. The lake sits on the Santa Clara River and has an abundant crappie, bluegill and crawfish population. Those attributes not only offer a great forage base, but the perfect ambush spots to give the big bass a healthy array of snacks all year long.

The second lake is Quail Creek Reservoir. The 590-acre impoundment was originally stocked in 1985 and is the only one of the three that has ever garnered any national attention. Quail has the deepest depths of the three with more than 100 feet of water to probe at full pool. Average size fish in Quail are usually in 3- to 4-pound range with local anglers catching fish in the 5- to 7-pound range almost every day.

Quail Creek sits just off Interstate 15, approximately 11 miles north of St. George. It's a 30-minute drive from Gunlock Reservoir.

Like its sibling lakes, Quail offers an abundance of cover in the upper end with both cedar and cottonwoods for the big fish to use as ambush spots. The main lake on Quail is much more barren, but its deep chunk rock walls, riprap dams, and offshore humps are perfect spots for big bass to roam looking for that perfect meal.

Quail has always had a reputation for big fish. In fact, rainbow trout more than 10 pounds have been caught here. The state-record crappie also comes from Quail.

Like Gunlock, Quail has an abundant population of bluegills and crawfish. But this reservoir also offers bullhead catfish and the occasional smallmouth bass.