Scott

Scott Lake is located 9 miles northeast of Isabella MN and is completely surrounded by United States Forest Service (USFS) land; it has a maximum depth of three feet and an area of 27 acres. Lake substrates are soft, dominated by muck and detritus. A total of 25 plant species were observed with wetland and bog plants dominating the shoreline. Scott Lake can be accessed from USFS Rd. #172 (600 road; Wanless Road). There is a pull-off on the north side of the road 0.3 miles east of where the road crosses Scott Creek. From the pull-off, the lake can be accessed by carrying a canoe 100 yards southwest through the brush (no trail) to Scott Creek, paddling 0.2 miles up the creek, and portaging over a beaver dam at the lake outlet. Due to the difficulty of access and limited fish community, use is very limited. A lake survey was conducted in 2015 to determine if a Muskellunge population had become established following the capture of two Muskellunge in a 2004 lake survey. No Muskellunge were sampled in 2015. Yellow Perch were the only gamefish sampled. The Yellow Perch catch was high relative to similar lakes in Northeastern Minnesota. Average length was 6.9 inches, with 7 percent of the catch having total lengths greater than 8 inches. The average weight was 0.1 pounds, which is below average when compared to similar lakes. Two year classes were present, with the 2013 year class making up 93 percent of the catch. Growth was faster than average when compared to other area lakes. Due to the shallow maximum depth it is likely that this lake winterkills occasionally. Scott Lake is rarely utilized for angling due to the difficulty of access, limited fish community, and small relative size of Yellow Perch.

Scott Lake is a small, shallow lake that has historically maintained a population of yellow perch, white sucker and various minnow species. A population assessment in 2004 collected these same species and also collected a very small number of Shoepack strain muskellunge. The muskellunge apparently were migrants from nearby Homestead Lake, where they were stocked in 2001 and 2003. The muskellunge collected in this assessment averaged 26.9 inches (4.5 pounds). It does not seem likely that this species will develop a fishable population given the extreme shallowness of the lake (maximum depth 1.5 feet).The yellow perch collected in this assessment were quite small, averaging only 6.1 inches, probably too small to interest anglers.

The 1994 lake survey netting sampled only white sucker, yellow perch, common shiner and creek chub in Scott Lake. No brook trout were captured although the lake flows into a designated trout stream. Summer water temperatures become too warm for brook trout. Scott Lake has little angling value except possibly for yellow perch which are small, averaging less than 7 inches.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Muskellunge and Yellow Perch in Scott. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Scott. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Scott has a maximum depth of 3 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Scott is from 2015. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

No invasive species are on record for Scott in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.