New to SoCal: Advice Needed

[philosofisher]

Hi all,

My first post. I am extremely glad this resource exists. I moved to Riverside from Missouri back in September, and due to lots of school work, I haven't been able to do any fly fishing. I'd like to do some around the Big Bear area this week. I don't have a four wheel drive vehicle, but I'm not adverse to hiking a bit if I need to. Where would you recommend that I fish and where should I drive and park to get access? Also, how much of a concern are bears? We don't really have bears in Missouri, should I take any special precautions?

Thanks.

[Jbfish]

bears arent that big of a concern unless you go to mammoth lol if you want some really good stream fishing id take a trip to bishop or mammoth.. its about a 5 hour and 6 hour drive respectively. i havent fished big bear streams but im gonna do it late december, if you go before me tell me how it is haha you can be my test subject :LOL: big bear is probably decent if its not frozen over lol but definitely not as good as bishop or mammoth. goodluck out there! and goodluck not getting hypothermia. *JBfish*

[philosofisher]

bears arent that big of a concern unless you go to mammoth lol if you want some really good stream fishing id take a trip to bishop or mammoth.. its about a 5 hour and 6 hour drive respectively. i havent fished big bear streams but im gonna do it late december, if you go before me tell me how it is haha you can be my test subject :LOL: big bear is probably decent if its not frozen over lol but definitely not as good as bishop or mammoth. goodluck out there! and goodluck not getting hypothermia. *JBfish*

I went to Bishop within two weeks of moving here and fished Hot Creek and Yosemite a bit. I want to scout the places closer to home. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm not too worried about hypothermia being from the Midwest, but I'll be layered for sure.

[Hotbite909]

You could also give the Kern River a try. It is half the distance of Bishop approximately. It has a wild and stocked section of the river. There is a fly shop up there which would probably give you some info on good spots to fish.

[dotbomb]

Regarding bears. As long as you don't surprise them you should be fine. If you are hiking to your spot make lots of noise around blind corners. Once fishing you don't want to be too noisy though of course. I personally do not think you will see any in the local areas. I came within 20' of bears on 2 different occasions on my last Sierra trip. Fun yet scary at the same time. Both times the bears just looked annoyed at me and sauntered off. Mammoth bears are even more tame.

Have fun!

[philosofisher]

I thought a lot about Kern too. I was trying to make a short day trip of it. But maybe I'll just end up making a more substantial multi-day trip next week.

[blufinhker]

My Advice to you is Go Back to Missouri, You will find the Fishing is better and I am sure it cost a lot
less to Fish there as well. You have come to a State that is BROKE, we have more fisherman and hunters
per acre than anywhere in the country.Our wildlife refuges can't stay open because they are under staffed.
Our game is havested so heavy that it takes Years for it to come back, and if and when it does it is always
in lower numbers.And please don't worry about bears, you need to worry about the other People around you
who are always trying to take advantage of the newbies. I wish you good luck!

[RTG]

Philo, ignore Blufin's doom and gloom forecast-he must have 12/21/12 on the brain, lol!!! Yes, this state has financial problems and it is overpopulated. However, there are no state "refuges" closing due to being understaffed or any other reason. Game and fish are harvested heavily, for sure, but my adventures afield tell me there are hardly any shortages. This past season we caught many wild trout (locally in the IE), crappies, bass, etc. Although I didn't deer hunt this year my buddy harvested two deer, as usual-in the D14 zone (again IE). You can see one of his deer, a 7x6 trophy on Jesse's Hunting and Outdoors under Mule Deer hunting. We even saw some band-tailed pigeons this week, and got one! Bear and Deep Creeks have great wild trout fishing for those willing to venture off the beaten path, as well as the Santa Ana River-if you hike down away from Seven Oaks. Yes, many complain, but we prefer to get out and enjoy the hunting and fishing. If you do your homework and scout (hunting), or get off the roads the hunting and fishing is fine around here. Regarding bears; there is a healthy population in the San Bernardino Mountains. Encounters with humans is rare, usually happening around camps or residences where food is left out that they can get to. This is a huge state and there are vast areas of wilderness to explore. The thing is most people want the easy stuff, and that's where they are usually disappointed. That's where you get crowded and the recreation sucks!

[fish-hound]

and now the drama begins :Popcorn:

[labjet2000]

Philosofisher, I like your name. I suggest you search the net for fishing clubs. You need to make contact with folks who know the ropes in your area and who often are looking for fishing buddies. Search in the Fishing Rendezvous section here on FNN and even post your desire to find a fellow fly-fishing spirit. Pasadena has a fly-casting club in the Arroyo with a practice pond and everything. Not sure exactly how far you want to go, but I bet there are a lot of groups and clubs that would pay off.

I believe City Dad, here on FNN, is a fly fishing aficionado... don't try to say that three times fast. My sense is he hits the surf more than streams, but a quick PM to him might get you started in a good direction. Besides, you may find fly-fishing the surf is more enjoyable than rock-hopping the limited number of trout streams in the semi-desert we call Southern California. Good Luck.

Everyone have a safe and happy holiday. Tight lines to all and to all a good catch!

[DrePSP]

You find any rivers/creeks to fish in? The Santa Ana river is more of a creek than a river. If you can jump across it shouldn't be called a river. You try hiking into jenks lake since is closed now?
I wouldn't worry about bears unless she has cubs. Even then just keep your cool. I'd carry a fixed blade thats easy to get to, just in case. or bear spray if you really want to get serious. Still nothing better than a 357 or 44, but this is Cali so I wouldn't chance it now days.

[oldschoolfishin']

the fishing here is not like idaho where i learned to fish w flies 40 some years ago. the surf is fun, a few creeks here, and there for small trout. i have fished the surf, king harbor, dana harbor, but primarily fish for bass, and other warm water species in the lakes. the fishing is close to home and there are lots of fish to play with. the wife and i take a trip or two each year to the mammoth area for excellent trout fishing both winter, and summer. there are trophy waters at hot creek, upper owens, lower owens, crowley, and east walker river, there are always fish in the mammoth lakes, plus countless streams. crowley has a great food source, and the fish are large, strong, and healthy. some of the fishing areas at mammoth are artificial bait, barbless hooks only, and can be a welcome challenge from the put-n-take planters. the pay to fish lakes i don't care for at all. a fly rod, or two, a float tube, and i can spend hours of enjoyable time in perris on a spring, or summer day. we live about 15min from perris and the fishing is usually pretty good. i seldom see any other guys, or gals fishing w flies however. if we meet on the lake come over and say howdy, and we'll exchange ideas on fooling fish w flies. at present i have been skunked on my previous two jaunts to perris in the last two weeks, but look forward to finding for some stripers that are willing to play; my understanding is that they will be available next month when the trout are more plentiful. take care, have fun, merry christmas.