Scott Reservoir Fishing near Fitchburg, Massachusetts

• Overview

  Look for Scott Reservoir in the Worcester County part of Massachusetts. The setting is lake country bush on every side. It runs to roughly 36 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Around 1.6 miles of margin, front to back. For a base, Fitchburg sits 2.5 miles out. Worcester sits 24 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Scott Reservoir

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Worcester County records list bluegill, chain pickerel, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow bullhead among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Treat Scott Reservoir as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 22°F in January and 69°F in July. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early April. Averages place the thaw at early April and the freeze at late December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Scott Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. City of Fitchburg Agricultural Preservation Restriction covers this ground, which means extra rules to check. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Falulah Reservoir sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. What applies at Scott Reservoir may have changed since it was mapped.