Scotts Flat: Bountiful Bass Among The Pines   By: Cal Kellogg August 28, 2006 More Articles by Cal

The air was dead still and my ears picked up nothing beyond the sterile blankness of total silence. Fresh powder clung to the evergreens and a uniform slab of grey overcast hung overhead giving the lake’s glassy surface a black foreboding quality.

It was mid afternoon, but in the dim grey light it could just as easily be dawn or dusk. It wasn’t snowing, but it had been and judging from the clouds of steam that emanated from my nose on the hike out to the point, snow would fall again before long.

The month of March had brought the first glimmer of spring in the form new leaves, fruit tree blossoms and the occasional gobble of lustful tom turkeys to the hills above the valley floor, but not here. Here it was still winter.

Trout were on my mind. Not the diminutive rainbows that would be easy victims for a well presented ball of Power Bait or an inflated worm. I was after the lake’s big elusive browns. Fishing pressure was exceedingly light and I knew the chilly water temperature and low light conditions would draw the big predators into the shallows to hunt for small trout and crawfish.

Taking stock of my spartan collection of plugs and spoons I selected a 4 inch No. 10 silver and black Rapala Husky Jerk and tied it directly to the spinning outfit’s 6 pound P-Line. Moving to the west side of the point, I fired a long 45 degree cast far back into the cove. Once the rings had dispersed somewhat I started a slow retrieve, stopping every few yards, allowing the suspending plug to set dead in the water.

I was on the third or forth pause when the line tighten against the rod tip and I felt a couple sharp raps. Instinctively the rod shot skyward and I was into a heavy fish that headed in my direction as it veered away from the point toward deep water. Reeling like a manic, I caught up with the fish and stopped it. Just then the line started to rise and a thick bodied smallmouth exploded from the water on the first of three rapid fire gill flaring jumps.

Minutes later when I grabbed the handsome 3 plus pound bronze back by the lower jaw it was clear that luck was on my side. The bass was just barely hooked on plug’s rear treble. Giving the Rapala a slight tug the hook pulled free. There’s no way that hook should have held, but it did. Such was my introduction to the great bass fishing that exists at Nevada County’s Scotts Flat Reservoir. Since then I’ve enjoyed many memorable days chasing Scott’s black bass.

I get to speak with a lot of bass anglers and professional guides. My informal poll suggests that few bass anglers are aware of the great fishing that Scotts Flat offers. Most anglers haven’t heard of Scotts Flat and those that have think of it as a trout lake.

Scotts Flat was first formed in 1948, but the current dam wasn’t completed until 1964. The lake is managed by the Nevada Irrigation District and is a component of the Yuba/Bear Rivers Development Project. The original purpose of the reservoir was to store water drinking and irrigation for the residents of western Nevada County. In the early 1980’s the dam was fitted with hydroelectric equipment and now in addition to supplying water, the lake produces a modest amount of electricity.

Setting at an elevation of 3,100 feet Scotts Flat nestled in pine studded hills is small by northern California standards, boasting only 786 surface acres and 7.5 miles of shoreline. While the lake’s history only dates back to the late 40’s the surrounding region is rich in history that dates back much further.

Scotts primary tributary is Deer Creek. Legend has it that during the first year of the gold rush the 49ers pulled an estimated 100,000 ounces of gold from the creek making it one of the richest placer gold strikes in the history of the world. On the lake’s southern shoreline there is still much visible evidence of the hydraulic mining, in which high pressure water cannons were used to wash away hillsides in the 1850’s and 1860’s.

Today Scotts Flat personifies what makes many of Norcal’s foothill and low sierra reservoirs so special, offering both a cold water and warm water fishery. For the coldwater enthusiast the lake is home to rainbows, browns and kokanee salmon. Warm water species include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill and catfish.

Despite Scott’s relatively small size, its gamefish grow large because of the lake’s rich forage base. The system’s black bass have the potential to grow large feeding on pond smelt, crawfish, planted rainbows, immature kokanee and of course bluegill.

A good portion of Scotts Flat’s charm stems from the fact that it is off the beaten track and both the anglers that visit the lake and the staff of the Scotts Flat Recreation Area take a kicked back attitude toward the fishing it offers. Yet, this makes pinning down the weights of the lake’s record bass difficult. However, in a recent conversation with Gary Davidson at the Scotts Flat Marina, I did learn that a 9.1 pound largemouth and a 5 plus pound smallmouth have been caught this season.

Scott’s Flat is a three season fishery in terms of targeting bass. While I’m sure that bass could be caught during the winter, storms frequently drop snow and water temperatures are frigid making launching and fishing difficult at best. In general the lake’s smallmouth come to life as daylight hours begin to lengthen in the latter half of March, while the largemouth activity kicks in a month or more latter.

The early spring is the best time to tangle with a trophy smallie in the 4 plus pound range. Prespawn smallmouth will most consistently be found cruising off main lake points with immediate access to deep water in the lower half of the lake. Over the years I’ve settled on a single method for tempting early season smallies. My favored approach is working a suspending minnow plug such as a Rapala Husky Jerk or a Yo-Zuri 3-D 70 minnow.

The key to successfully fishing these baits in cold water is to proceed with what I call slow deliberation. Cast the bait out and crank it down to depth, then slow down and let the bait pause for several second at a time. Sometimes ripping the bait between pauses is the best approach. At other times you’ll want to slowly swim it from pause to pause.

Since the lake is clear, the bass will see the bait from a distance and come out of deep water for a chance at a large easy meal. These days I fish rainbow and kokanee colored baits most of the time, but bright patterns like Fire Tiger can also be effective, so it pays to experiment.

As the late winter gives way to spring a wider array of baits becomes effective. When visiting the lake let water temperature dictate lure selection and presentation speed. In April, when bass are actively spawning at low elevation lake’s like Folsom and Berryessa, bass will still be in a prespawn mode at Scotts due to its significantly higher elevation and correspondingly lower water temperatures.

When the water creeps into the upper 50’s suspending minnow plugs remain effective, but other reaction lures such as spinnerbaits and crankbaits will begin tempting bass too, as they move into shallower water and stage for the spawn. While minnow plugs remain my favorite bait, I add tube jigs, spider grubs and plastic worms to my arsenal as the spawn approaches. The bass that whack the minnow plugs will be the best quality fish, but for numbers of fish the plastics really shine.

Smallmouths outnumber largemouth at Scotts, but targeting largemouths offers the best chance of busting a lunker. If tempting a big largemouth is your goal the spring is the best time. For big mouths you’ll want to upsize your baits while slowing down you presentation. The top choices are brown rubber jigs tipped with No. 180 Yamamoto grub trailers, 7 to 10 inch Power Worms in dark colors or rainbow trout pattern swimbaits.

While using these baits you’ve got to stay focused. Strikes will be few and far between, but stumbling upon unsophisticated bass into the low double digits are a real possibility.

As spring gives way to summer and the spawn ends, the lake’s bass spread out and can typically be found in 5 to 20 feet of water orienting to both wood and rock structure. A number of standard lures can be used at this time, but for me nothing beats surface lures and plastic grubs rigged on darter heads.

For surface work I favor Zara Spooks as well as small to medium size River2Sea poppers. Early in the season surface activity can be had all day long, but once summer arrives in full force, the best surface action occurs during the first and last hour of daylight.

Once the sun is high, my go to offing is a brown or smoke colored Yamamoto 2 to 3 inch grub rigged on an eighth or quarter ounce darter head. With this combination of baits 20 fish days are common all summer long.

If Scotts is overlooked during the spring and summer, it’s really off the map in the fall when some of most exciting bass action takes place. When surface temperatures begin dropping into the middle 60’s look for both smallmouths and largemouths to move shallow. This migration first occurs near the mouth of Deer Creek and near the dam where the water is coolest before spreading to the rest of the lake.

Since the bass are motivated to feed heavily for the impending winter crankbaits and surface lures are logical choices for the aggressive fish. A variety of lures in a broad range of patterns will produce. The only thing to avoid is using a bait that is too large. I’ve found that baits in the 1.5 to 2 inch range are the most effective.

My personal favorites are a Heddon Tiny Torpedo for surface work and a crawfish or baitfish pattern Hardcore Shad SH 50 Yo-Zuri crankbait for exploring the depths. Given the aggressive attitude of the bass and low level of fishing pressure you can work these lures quickly. I’ve witnessed some exciting explosions as smallmouths catapult out of the water to smash a Torpedo burned across rocky structure.

If you’d like to experience bass fishing in an intimate evergreen studded valley where chunky bass are itching to pounce on your lures, give Scotts Flat a try. The lake offers everything to delight an avid bass angler from plentiful topwater fishing opportunities to big numbers of bass in the half to 2 pound range, along with the ever present possibility of trading punches with a real lunker…I can’t wait for my next adventure to Scotts!

Scotts Flat Lake Facts

Location and Size: Scotts Flat Lake sets at an elevation of 3,100 feet. The lake has a surface area of 786 surface acres and features 7.5 miles of shoreline. The first dam on the lake was created in 1948 and the current dam was completed in 1964. The lake is part of the Nevada Irrigation District Yuba/Bear Rivers Development Project. To reach the lake drive north from Auburn on Highway 49, near the town of Nevada City 49 junctions with Highway 20. Take 20 to the east for about 5 miles before turning right onto Scotts Flat Road.

Public boat ramps: Local facilities at the lake are managed by the Scotts Flat Recreation Area. There are two concrete launch ramps available. One ramp is on the Highway 20 side of the lake near the marina. The other is on the far side of the lake near Cascade Shores. The ramp near the marina offers the best access for visiting anglers. The marina has a general store, bait and tackle as well as rental boats.

Cabins and Cottages: The Scotts Flat Recreation area maintains 200 campsites, in addition to 4 group sites. The campgrounds offer restrooms, showers and a sanitary disposal station.

Fishing and Guide Service Information: There are currently no bass fishing guides that routinely fish Scotts Flat Lake. The best local guide to call for information and a possible trip is Rick Kennedy of Tight Lines Guide Service. Rick operates out of Grass Valley and can be reached at (530) 273-1986.

General Information: For basic fishing, boating and camping information give the Scotts Flat Recreation Area a call (530) 265-5302 or the marina at (530) 265-0413.