Gunlock Reservoir Fishing Near St. George Utah
The Gunlock Reservoir Fishing near St. George, in Utah, has been rated as slow by avid anglers who have tried fishing in the area. The ramp for the boats is currently closed due to the critical level of water.
Details of the Gunlock Reservoir
Gunlock Reservoir is located right within the Washington County, in the northwest portion of St. George. It is about 17 miles to the direction of the northwest away from St. George right on Highway 18 or about 15 miles towards the south away from Enterprise. It is about 268 acres and has an elevation of about 3,550 feet.
There is no restriction on the time that you can visit. When fishing at the Gunlock Reservoir, you will likely catch the green sunfish, bluegill, and largemouth bass. You can refer to the Fishing Guidebook of Utah for information on the special laws and regulations that will apply for this water body.
Site Amenities
There are primitive camping facilities available on the reservoir shoreline area, as well as gas stations and convenience stores nearby. There are also other services available within the city of St. George.
Site Description
The flooding that took place during the mid-2000s has greatly added a lot of sediments into the reservoir and has plugged the outlets of the dam. In the year 2008, the pool has been totally drained and a fresh outlet was installed in order to prevent the same problems from happening.
However, when the reservoir was drained, the fish population has also dwindled. The population of bluegill and largemouth bass were reestablished during the spring of 2009, although it will need years before the fish can fully begin a new population on the Gunlock Reservoir. Experts have been planning for the Santa Clara River to stop catfish from being stocked right on the drainage, and thus, Gunlock’s restricted population of catfish cannot be re-established.
Finished in 1970
The Gunlock Reservoir has been completed in 1970 and its original plan for the reservoir had a 3,300 acre conservation pool. Initially, the pool was stocked with bluegill, largemouth bass, as well as black crappie.
The conservation pool has come into an agreement with an irrigation company and such agreement was modified in 1982 in order to clarify dead storage water. Draining it isn’t allowed from the reservoir and the active storage water. Requirements have also been made in order to stabilize the spring water levels in order to benefit the spawning of the bass and hopefully stop the decreasing population of bass.
The efforts to stabilize the level of water at the time of the spawning season can probably help to bring back the bass population although overall numbers have not responded as what many has hoped. The deterring fishing rules which require catching and releasing of most sizes of the bass have been introduced during the early 1990s and such rules have been patterned on the similar rules imposed for the Quail Creek Reservoir which have remained in effect even today.
