New to Riverside

[crespoh69]

Hey guys, I recently moved to Riverside from Hawaiian Gardens and I'm trying to find my way around here with regards to fish. It doesn't seem that there's very many options but maybe I'm just not aware of them? Back in HG, I had a couple of options within relatively close distance, I could walk to them if I wanted to but here, there doesn't even appear to be active rivers despite the name. Anyone got some spots you'd recommend taking the kids to? I was never really a freshwater fisherman to begin with, mostly saltwater but love fishing anywhere just the same. I still work in LA county and am honestly considering maybe staying overnight with my parents just to get my fishing session in once things start to heat up again lol

[Brewcrafter]

Welcome. There are options:
Very Close - Rancho Jurupa Regional Park. Regularly stocked (but now that it is warming up and it is a relatively shallow lake it will be catfish only). Good place with kids.
Also Very Close - Lake Evans/Fairmont Park. I mention it, and I know people do fish it, but frankly, I would not go there.
Bigger - Lake Perris, Can get really crowded once the weather warms up and lots of boaters/skiers/etc....
A little farther - Diamond Valley - A "No Contact" lake so a lot less crowded, fisherman only. Limited shoreline for fishing and pretty much nothing else to do out there except fish.
I realize that is getting up into "A bit of a drive" with the last two. There are numerous options "up the hill" but again, you are looking at an investment in time/travel. Nice in the depths of summer when we are in triple digits down here however. Good Luck!

[crespoh69]

A "No Contact" lake

Thanks for the suggestions! What did you mean by a no contact lake? As for fairmount park, I did go there but it seems to be drying up a bit or looks a bit shallow, saw my first wild crawfish there just last week? Why would you not recommend it if you don't mind my asking? DM is fine too if you prefer.

[Fin & Tonic]

A no contact lake means no human or animal contact with the water.
No swimming, wading, etc.
You can fish, but that's about it.

A good lake in Riverside county is lake Hemet.
I fished there recently and still lots of trout holdovers to be had.
Anywhere near the marina or the shoreline along the campgrounds are good choices.

[Natural Lefty]

Thanks for the suggestions! What did you mean by a no contact lake? As for fairmount park, I did go there but it seems to be drying up a bit or looks a bit shallow, saw my first wild crawfish there just last week? Why would you not recommend it if you don't mind my asking? DM is fine too if you prefer.

I grew up in Riverside and still live in the area (Moreno Valley). I did go to Fairmount Park sometimes, but my parents were cautious about me being there, because of the crime in the area. One of my high school classmates was arrested for killing someone there, in fact. I think that crime is still a problem there. There is also a lot of trash and pollution. My wife and I went there a few years ago and picked up virtually a trash can full of trash. The fishing isn't the problem there. It's okay for fish like bass, sunfish and catfish.

I like Hemet Lake too, and usually have good success there. However, I went there a couple of weeks ago, and nobody was catching anything, including myself. Maybe it was just a bad day for fishing there, and I wasn't there for very long. I was going to try a couple of other places (long story short), but both were closed, and my car was overheating (problem since fixed at the dealer, apparently), so I headed to Hemet Lake, got there late and didn't give my best effort to fishing.

P.S. The closed places were Fulmor Lake (undergoing renovation until at least sometime in July), and the North Fork San Jacinto River, which has signs posted telling people to stay more than 10 feet from the water due to the native frogs, plus other unwelcoming signs. It was my first time trying to fish that stream, which is quite beautiful but clearly has restrictions in the area that I wanted to fish.

[Brewcrafter]

The replies above it pretty much cover both "No contact" and Fairmont. Being a public park and the substantial amounts of "urban campers" that live in the Riverbottom its a little dodgy. Meanwhile Rancho Jurupa which is maybe a mile away as the crow flies and also in the riverbottom, you pay to get in ($7 to fish I believe) and there are rangers, staff, and camp hosts that live on site. - john