Quail Creek is a River located in Monterey County, CA. Starting in Chualar, CA the Quail Creek flows 9 miles through Salinas, CA before ending in Salinas, CA. The Quail Creek rises to an elevation of 102 feet. Find maps, fishing guides, weather and recreation information at Guidesly.

About Quail Creek, CA

Quail Creek is a stream located in Monterey County on the central coast of California. It is situated east of Spence and is next to Potter Road. It can be reached 3.4 miles from Chualar and 5.5 miles from Spreckels. The stream is one of the six sub-watersheds of the Lower Salinas River Watershed, along with Chualar Creek, Salinas River, Esperanza Creek, El Toro Creek, and Blanco Drain. 

The stream, however, has records of very high concentrations of unionized ammonia, and it is considered as one of the most polluted water bodies in the area. The vicinity within the creek is one of the best places to grow vegetables and flowers, which is why the Central Valley Seeds is also located near the creek. However, this posed impairments to the water body.

In October 2018, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife also found mounds of fertilizer, potting soil, and signs of grading at the 27020 Encinal Road site near Quail Creek—which is unlawful under the Fish and Game Code since the soil or fertilizer could pass into the creek and affect the wildlife and fisheries there. Other portions of the Lower Salinas River Watershed also have water quality issues, caused by discharges brought about by agricultural lands. 

All About Fishing in Quail Creek, CA

Fishing in Quail Creek gives you plenty of opportunities to catch a variety of fish species, including Alburnus bleak, brown trout, common carp, ide, chinook salmon, and bull trout. You may also find populations of asp, black crappie, bluegill, goldfish, and chub. Eel species may also be found, however, they can only be present at certain times in a month. Gudgeon, minnow, roach, rudd, silver carp, tench, and zander are also potential species that can be caught here. The stream also provides excellent opportunities for catching rainbow trout and channel catfish. 
 

Ideal fishing techniques used in the area would be baitcasting and surfcasting. Some species dwell mostly in deep places, such as the black crappie, bluegill, common carp, channel catfish, goldfish, minnow, roach, rudd, and zander fish species. Others like silver carp, roach, rainbow trout, ide, chub, brown trout, and asp tend to hang out around shallower places. Some of these, however, do like to switch between and can be sometimes found at either shallow or deep parts of the water body, so it is ideal to be always on the move when angling here. 

Do take into consideration that you may need a fishing license before you can practice sportfishing out here in the stream. You may avail of annual fishing licenses, and you can get short-term licenses such as the One-day Sport Fishing License or Two-Day Sport Fishing from the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife website.

Fishing Seasonality

The best times to fish in Quail Creek would be around 1 AM to 2 AM and at 8 AM. The time range from 1 PM to 3 PM is also generally a great time to fish out here. Fishing for brown trout and rainbow trout can be pretty great from April to November, which is the state’s fixed trout season. You may also try your luck during the warmest months of the year in the county, which is from August through November, as freshwater fishes tend to become more active at warmer temperatures.

Fishing Seasonality

The best times to fish in Quail Creek would be around 1 AM to 2 AM and at 8 AM. The time range from 1 PM to 3 PM is also generally a great time to fish out here. Fishing for brown trout and rainbow trout can be pretty great from April to November, which is the state’s fixed trout season. You may also try your luck during the warmest months of the year in the county, which is from August through November, as freshwater fishes tend to become more active at warmer temperatures.

All About Fishing in Quail Creek, CA

Fishing in Quail Creek gives you plenty of opportunities to catch a variety of fish species, including Alburnus bleak, brown trout, common carp, ide, chinook salmon, and bull trout. You may also find populations of asp, black crappie, bluegill, goldfish, and chub. Eel species may also be found, however, they can only be present at certain times in a month. Gudgeon, minnow, roach, rudd, silver carp, tench, and zander are also potential species that can be caught here. The stream also provides excellent opportunities for catching rainbow trout and channel catfish. 
 

Ideal fishing techniques used in the area would be baitcasting and surfcasting. Some species dwell mostly in deep places, such as the black crappie, bluegill, common carp, channel catfish, goldfish, minnow, roach, rudd, and zander fish species. Others like silver carp, roach, rainbow trout, ide, chub, brown trout, and asp tend to hang out around shallower places. Some of these, however, do like to switch between and can be sometimes found at either shallow or deep parts of the water body, so it is ideal to be always on the move when angling here. 

Do take into consideration that you may need a fishing license before you can practice sportfishing out here in the stream. You may avail of annual fishing licenses, and you can get short-term licenses such as the One-day Sport Fishing License or Two-Day Sport Fishing from the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife website.