Scott Reservoir

Scott Reservoir is a reservoir in Navajo County, Arizona and covers about 84 acres, reaches about 35 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 1,740 acre-feet.

Scott Reservoir can be broken down in a few passes: shallow cover, the first break, and the deepest useful water.

Fish and Baits

Fish listed for Scott Reservoir include Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, and Largemouth Bass.

For black crappie, fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops; check the first shelf outside shallow cover; use one moving lure and one slow bait on this 84-acre reservoir.

For bluegill, use a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets; fish isolated cover before a long empty edge; use one moving lure and one slow bait on this 84-acre reservoir.

For largemouth bass, work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover; test a point before fishing a featureless bank; use one moving lure and one slow bait on this 84-acre reservoir.

For channel catfish, fish cut bait or a nightcrawler on the bottom along a channel edge or warm flat; try a brighter bait when the water is dirty; use one moving lure and one slow bait on this 84-acre reservoir.

At Scott Reservoir, other targets listed here include Common Carp; give each one its own bait and depth instead of trying to catch everything with the same rig.

How to Read the Water

At Scott Reservoir, start where two things meet: weeds and open water, rock and mud, a point and a drop, or clear water and dirty water; fish that edge at more than one depth before leaving it.

Season by Season

At Scott Reservoir, spring runoff can add color and pull fish toward fresh water; green weeds and the first drop become stronger summer targets; in fall, follow bait toward points and shallow flats, while winter rewards a slower search.

A Simple Tackle Plan

When working Scott Reservoir, a medium spinning rod, 8-pound line, a small box of jigs, a few crankbaits, and a simple bottom rig cover most situations; change depth or speed before changing every piece of tackle.

Use this plain plan on Scott Reservoir: record the wind, water color, productive depth, and cover after a bite; those four notes are more useful on the next trip than a long list of spots that did not produce.

Scott Reservoir FAQs

What is a simple way to start fishing for black crappie at Scott Reservoir?

Cast across the point tip, then fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops; work the bottom where the bank turns steep.

What does the 35 feet deepest point mean when fishing Scott Reservoir?

Treat 35 feet as the deepest point, not the automatic fishing depth; start near cover and move deeper only when bites or bait give a reason.

What is the best reason to change spots at Scott Reservoir?

Follow the outside weed line, then move after checking the same useful feature at several depths without finding bait, a clean edge, or a bite; note the exact cover that gives a bite.