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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
64-acre lake near Nevada County. The lake tops out around 18 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
Traced from the shoreline, Rucker Lake runs 63 acres with 1.7 miles of edge. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 1.5) — enough points and pockets to pattern. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 80% of this chart, as modeled. End to end it runs roughly 0.6 mi, about 0.3 mi across. The water lies in Nevada County. The nearest mapped water is Blue Lake, 1 mi to the east.
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 18 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 18 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (8 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (8 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 15 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for California waters are set by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Rucker Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official California fishing regulations →
Rucker Lake is about 18 ft (5 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target largemouth bass on Rucker Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Rucker Lake is regulated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Check the official California regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Blue Lake 1 mi · Carr Lake 3 mi · Feely Lake 3 mi · Lindsey Lakes 4 mi · Snowflower 4 mi · Culbertson Lake 5 mi · Lower Rock Lake 5 mi · Faucherie Lake 7 mi · Sawmill Lake 7 mi · French Lake 8 mi · Weaver Lake 8 mi · Lake Sterling 9 mi
See how Rucker Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in California
More water nearby: Nevada County fishing maps (15 charts). Browse all California fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.