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Spring Crappie

742 Views 13 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  backcountry
I want to figure out spring crappie fishing at Quail creek and sand hollow in Southern utah this year and catch some good eaters.

Any tips, tricks, or advice would be greatly appreciated.
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I want to figure out spring crappie fishing at Quail creek and sand hollow in Southern utah this year and catch some good eaters.

Any tips, tricks, or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Have you had any luck with the bluegill there? I ask as it sounds like they have similar preferences. We haven't got into crappie there but we did well late last summer into the late autumn with bluegill at Quail. I wonder if I had changed up lure & bait if I'd have luck with the black crappie? The snows off my boat & it sounds like a good time to find out.

Let me know if ya want to chat sideband about Quail.
Yeah, the bluegill there can be a little small. We got a few healthy sized ones last year though that were good enough for a few meals. Probably good they run a little small as eating more fried fish might not be a great new trend for me 😂

Thx for bringing the subject. I'm curious to hear more ideas people share. Crappie are completely new to me. Plus, we just drove by on Thursday and most of my spots are now an extra 5-10 ft under water. Its impressively full.
Tip: Fish Gunlock
Trick: skip Quail and Sand Hollow; go to Gunlock
Advice: Try Gunlock



I shouldn't discount Quail or Sand Hollow. I know Quail has some fantastic crappie. I just know what the crappie fishing was like last summer at Gunlock. It should be your first option. :)
Given how busy it gets there during the falls, do you know if they reserve some parking for boats & trailers? I'm interested in getting out myself but it sounds nuts there with the spillover happening.
It would be my first option except I want to eat the fish and gunlock is full of heavy metals. As a rule I will not eat fish from enterprise, gunlock, or new castle. Lots of mines and metals in those drainges.
First, I respect such decisions. We still don't feed our daughter anything from most southern Utah reservoirs because she's so vulnerable to things like methylmercury. We also abstained for my wife while she was pregnant.

That said, Quail actually tests higher for methylmercury than Gunlock. And Sand Hollow is almost exactly the same as Gunlock. Many of our freshwater bodies actually get many of these toxins from the atmosphere and rain; makes it so complicated.

Luckily panfish don't bioaccumulate most toxins anywhere near the level species like bass do. As well, our bodies do slowly filter (sometimes multiple lifecycles of filtering) many of these toxins from our body as adults. My daughter will eat some growing up later in life but I'll probably limit until she's in her early 20s, when most brain development slows way down.

Best of luck mate. I hate that we have to consider such things given how healthy fish is for us. But it's also one of the reasons I now eat more sardines and mackerel compared to tuna, etc.
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Yeah, it caught me off guard a few years back to see how many had warnings:

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