Good brown trout fishing at the inlet and along the road side of this most scenic lake repay the short hike over the snow to the lake. Worms and small plugs or spoons offer top action here from boat or bank. Locals often drag canoes or inflatables into the Reservoir over the snow, then troll or cast lures off the mouth of the South Yuba River, Fordyce Creek or the flume across the lake. You can scramble and climb down the river from the Interstate 80 Bridge all the way to the reservoir. There's also a lousy road that runs under the power lines and dives down to cross the rivers.
Some large trout seem to stage here before or after spawning.
It's a great spot for brown trout in the fall if you wear bells or carry a boom box so the city hunters don't pot you. Big brown trout repair your trolling or point casting efforts early in the season, once the snow melt peaks the lake fills with floating wood and browns go back deep. If you can't slog into these lakes head downhill to Scotts Flat Reservoir near Grass Valley or to Bullards Bar. Best bets for those who can handle reasonable and worse gravel to cobbles roads include the big brown trout at Bowman if you can figure out how to get your boat into the water. Meadow Lake probably has the best fishing, at least early in the year.