Lake Perris Fishing Report 2023 [Tips, Spots, Pictures, and Everything You Need to Know]

How To Fish Lake Perris

Lake Perris Fishing Report

Lake Perris is a small lake that sits 71 miles away from Los Angeles.

Overall it’s a popular lake being nestled in southern California. In this post, you’re going to be given the blueprint to fish this lake.

So what are the best tips for fishing Lake Perris? There are three important factors you must know if you want to know how to fish Lake Perris successfully. First, you need to know what kind of fish is in Lake Perris. Second, it’s important for you to know which part of the lake each species can be found in. Lastly, knowing what are the best baits that work on Lake Perris is vital. However, tactics, baits, and locations will be different for each type of fish that you target. So let’s talk about the steps you need to take in order to give you the best chance of catching a fish on Lake Perris.

WARNING: There’s a lot of information about this subject you’ll probably want to come back to. No one expects you to remember all these tips. We know your time is precious, so we really tried to over-deliver in value for you. Additionally, we frequently update reports like this, so you’ll want to stay up to date with any changes or additional tips we include for you.

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About Lake Perris

Lake Perris is a shallow body of water with the average depth being 35 feet and a maximum depth of 100 feet when the lake is completely full.

Fishing Lake Perris can be incredible when you have over 2,250 surface acres and 10 miles of shoreline of shoreline to fish.

Lake Perris gives locals and visitors the opportunity to test their luck in catching one of the many game species this lake has to offer

Important Lake Warnings

Algae blooms may be present which may affect fishing, swimming, and water contact in general.

According to parks.ca.gov, “every one of California’s new laws requires boat operators to have a California Boating Card. The card is required for anyone under the age of 41 to operate a boat in California’s waters.”

If you are fishing and camping, fire bans may be in effect due to the ongoing drought conditions.

What Kind Of Fish Are In Lake Perris

Rainbow trout
Largemouth bass
Black crappie
White crappie
Catfish
Bluegill
Common carp

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Lake Perris Fishing Tips & General Strategies

Another picture of the lake or find a YT video

It can be a challenge to break down Lake Perris and decide to get started.

Lake Perris is known for its phenomenal largemouth bass fishing and recreational boating.

Most of the fish such as bass, bluegill, crappie, and catfish will spawn in the spring. Bass will spawn in 1’-15’-feet of water notably on rocky structure, gravel flats, humps, and small creek inlets and cuts.

Unlike most lakes, Lake Perris is a very clear lake so anglers commonly have fish 20+ feet deep. Furthermore, Lake Perris also is known for its deep weedbeds that grow on the lake, forcing anglers to adjust their fishing strategy to specifically target giant bass and panfish that use this area all year long.

When the summer heat sets in, the bass, bluegill, and crappie will move to deeper water to approximately 15’-30’-feet of water. Focus on drops offs, channels, points, submerged humps and deep weedbeds. Deeper area with chunk rock ranging from baseball to basketball size will attract predatory fish like bass, crappie and catfish because it provides a safe area the prey (crayfish, bream, and minnows) can hide.

If you can find the ideal spot at the ideal depth then it will most likely assist you in catching fish.

But Where Are The Best Places To Fish At Lake Perris?

And in no particular order here is that list of the best fishing spots at Lake Perris.

DISCLAIMER: The material provided is for general information purposes only. It’s important to understand that any information provided in this article can change at any time. Any maps or graphics featured are not to be used as navigational aids. Fishing Blueprint will not be responsible for any personal injury or property damage from any misuse of the maps or graphics provided. It’s completely impossible to give you every single spot where you can potentially catch a fish. But, what this list does do is to give you a helping hand and narrow down to the most productive fishing spots.

East End Flats

This spot is great because it’s a “grass flat”. It’s a fairly large area that has very little change in depth and is covered in vegetation. Sometimes this vegetation can grow to the surface creating a floating mat or canopy.

When the weeds are just developing or dying off, this huge flat fishes very well, creating deep channels in the vegetation. Bass will hide in weed-filled holes and ambush bait.

It’s relatively shallow (between 3 and 10 feet deep) and what makes this spot unique is all the cover the fish can hide in and call home. Parts of the flat are close to deep water, and if the fish feel threatened, they can retreat to it. Fishing the outside edges can frequently result in fish being caught.

Furthermore, there are some spots within this area that will create large ‘holes’ in the weedbed. These open areas will frequently hold bass.

Holes should be fished with a grass flipping jig, wacky rig senko, Mojo rig, Texas rig, weedless tubes or even a drop shot.

If the grass is submerged you fish over the tops with a topwater lure, buzzbaits, frog lure, chatterbaits, or whopper plopper.

Fish the weedline edges parallel with crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, frog lures, soft plastic swimbaits, umbrella rigs, swim jigs, underspin jigs or chatterbaits.

There are several hard bottom patches, small rock piles, and high spots on humps that should be checked for fish.

Lastly, there are several small drainage ditches that should be checked for fish as well.

Located: east side

Structural features: emergent and submerged brush and weedbeds

Best species to target: largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish

Most effective way to fish this spot: boat, kayak, float tube

The Rock Pile

The Rock Pile is a spot consisting of two giant rock mounds. These rock mounds sit on the Eastern End Flats and are surrounded by emergent and submerged brush and weedbeds.

Adjacent to the Rock Pile on the east side, the spot call the Rockin Hole is a deep man-made hole that drops quickly into approximately 40 feet of water.

The Rock Pile fishes great all year long but really shines during the summer.

There is also a small creek channel that runs to the west of the rock pile that consistently holds fish during the winter.

Naturally, crawfish, bluegill, minnows, and shad seek shelter in this area.

Given this embankment’s large area, it’s best to focus your efforts on cuts, points, boulder piles, and on transition areas from larger rock to smaller rock size.

Effective baits for this area include: topwater lures, buzzbaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, umbrella rigs, chatterbaits, jerkbaits, underspin jigs, swim jigs, hair jigs, and soft plastic swimbaits perform well here in breezy conditions.

In contrast, slower moving baits such as drop shot, football jigs, tubes, wacky rig, Texas rig, Neko rigs, and Carolina rigs can be phenomenal when the conditions are calm or the bass are holding close to the rocks.

Flutter spoons work great in the deepest part of the bank or over any secondary structures directly related to the bank.

Located: east side

Structural features: two giant rock mounds, open sink hole, emergent and submerged brush and weedbeds

Best species to target: largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish

Most effective way to fish this spot: boat, kayak, float tube

Alessandro Island

Alessandro Island is approximately 570 yards long and sits in the eastern part of the lake, and is known for its ability to fish very well all year long.

Similar to the Rock Pile, most of its banks can consist of thick chunk rock that will transition into sand and clay in some parts of the shoreline.

Alessandro Island is also surrounded by emergent and submerged brush and weedbeds and also features small thickets of submerged timber on the eastern side.

The patches of vertical timber in this area can hold fish all year long.

Due to its location relative to the surrounding shoreline and deeper channel access, bass and crappie will often hold over the treetops in both pre-and-post spawn.

During the summer bass will hold over the treetops if submerged or will hold close to the trunk of the larger trees.

Most professionals will choose the most isolated trees, trees that form a natural point, and trees close to any deep water to fish first.

Then, most will focus on the largest of the trees to fish within the thicket.

Effective baits for this area include: topwater lures, buzzbaits, crankbaits, chatterbaits, soft plastic swimbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, swim jigs, hair jigs, and underspin jigs when the bass are aggressive. Flutter spoons work great when used over any deep structure or vertical timber as well.

If the bass are timid, then drop shot, tubes, Ned rig, Neko rig, Mojo rig, Carolina rig, and football jigs all work really well.

Located: east side

Structural features: rocky banks, emergent/ submerged brush and weedbeds, small thickets of submerged timber

Best species to target: largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish

Most effective way to fish this spot: boat, kayak, float tube

Tire Reef

This spot is great because it’s a “structure flat” of artificial habitat. It’s a fairly large area formed of old tires used when the dam was being built.

The area has very little change in depth and fishing can be insane if the water is low, or during the summer and winter months (if the lake is at normal pool level).

If the water is low this spot can be a phenomenal place to catch spawning bass.

Fishing the outside edges can frequently result in fish being caught.

Effective baits for this area include: crankbaits, soft plastic swimbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, chatterbaits, swim jigs, hair jigs, and underspin jigs when the bass are aggressive. Flutter spoons work great in the deeper channel sections as well.

If the bass are timid, then drop shot, tubes, Ned rig, Neko rig, Mojo rig, Carolina rig, and jigs all work really well.

Located: mid-lake, east side

Structural features: artificial habitat

Best species to target: largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish

Most effective way to fish this spot: boat, kayak, float tube

Bernasconi & Climbing Rock Cove

These two spots are phenomenal winter and summer fishing spots.

When water is at normal pool it floods the shallow trees and brush.

Deeper thick weeds can grow up to 20-30 feet deep.

The weeds can sometimes grow to the surface creating a floating mat or canopy.

When the weeds are just developing or dying off, this huge flat fishes well, creating deep channels in the vegetation. Bass will hide in weed-filled holes and ambush bait.

Holes should be fished with a grass flipping jig, wacky rig senko, Mojo rig, Texas rig, weedless tubes or even a drop shot.

If the grass is submerged you fish over the tops with a topwater lure, buzzbaits, frog lure, chatterbaits, or whopper plopper.

Fish the weedline edges parallel with crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, frog lures, soft plastic swimbaits, umbrella rigs, swim jigs, underspin jigs or chatterbaits.

Several hard bottom patches, small rock piles, and high spots on humps should be checked for fish.

Lastly, there are several small drainage ditches that should be checked for fish as well.

Located: east side

Structural features: emergent and submerged brush and weedbeds

Best species to target: largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish

Most effective way to fish this spot: boat, kayak, float tube

Rip Rap Points

The northern part of the lake is home to multiple long points. The tips of these points are covered in thick chunk rock, in which the size can range from small boulders to basketball sized rock (also known as “rip rap”).

The points are characteristically steep and crawfish, bluegill, minnows, and shad seek shelter in this area, which in turn attract bass and other predatory fish.

It’s best to focus your efforts on cuts, piles of rock that create a ‘point on the point’, fishing the largest of boulders in that area, as well as, the transition areas from larger rock to smaller rock size.

During the summer, top water baits work really well one hour before and after the sunrise/ or sunset. An excellent midday strategy is to come back to this spot and scan this area with a fish finder and locate the thermocline. Chances are the bass will hold just a few feet above the thermocline. Once identified, target these rip rap points with a lure that can be used at that specific depth.

Effective baits for this area include: topwater lures, buzzbaits in the morning or on cloudy conditions. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, chatterbaits, umbrella rigs, underspin jigs, swim jigs, hair jigs, lipless crankbaits, and soft plastic swimbaits perform well here in breezy conditions or during the midday.

In contrast, slower-moving baits such as drop shot, football jigs, tubes, wacky rig, Texas rig, Neko rigs, and Carolina rigs can be phenomenal when the conditions are calm or the bass are holding close to the rocks.

Flutter spoons work great in the deepest part of the point or over any secondary structures directly related to the point.

Located: north side

Structural features: rip rap points

Best species to target: largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish

Most effective way to fish this spot: boat, kayak, float tube, shoreline fishing

-- Featured Article Of The Month --

How To Catch Fish In Lake Perris?

Rainbow Trout

California Department of Fish and Wildlife grows and stocks local lakes and reservoirs like this lake with Rainbow Trout.

Due to this lake being relatively unpressured, deep, and colder, and most other desert reservoirs, the stocked trout do very well.

Furthermore, trout are produced in local fisheries, they are healthy and have no limit on the amount of trout that can be consumed.

Typically trout are stocked frequently, however, it can vary.

Sometimes you’ll read this lake has steelhead trout, but no rainbow trout, or visa versa…

This can be confusing for a lot of people. Are rainbow trout and steelhead trout the same?

Short answer, they are nearly the same species.

But, if you have ever wondered, what is the real difference between a rainbow trout and a steelhead trout? We wrote a definitive report called, “What’s the Difference Between A Rainbow Trout Vs Steelhead”. Click here to read it, so you can end the confusion once and for all.

General Trout Details

Spawn: March-May

Food: insects and crustaceans.

California State Record: 27 lbs 0 oz. Caught 10/02/2005 in Lake Natoma.

Table Quality: Depending on the fishes diet, the meat can be white to orange-red in color. The meat is firm, flaky, and is considered excellent eating.

Angling techniques:

Trolling with or without downriggers
Fish attractor: 6in Shasta Tackle UV sling blade or a Jensen Trout & Kokanee Dodger in blue, silver in clear water, or chartreuse, bright pink in stained water.
Trolling spoons such as a Krocodile spoon, Super Duper, Crippled Herring, Cast Champ, or Hus-Lure – simple, easy to use, can be trolled or cast-retrieved at any speed.
Inline spinners such as the Bang-Tail and Shyster – gets a ton of bites.
Minnow style baits such as the Luhr-Jensen Quick Fish and the Rapala BX minnow – known to hook up giant fish.
Real or artificial corn – great because it will never spoil or mold over.
Natural salmon eggs – it’s hard to beat natural salmon eggs when trout are eating salmon eggs, they’ll eat up jars of this stuff!
Artificial salmon eggs – great because they float off the bottom – ideal in rocky or grassy conditions.
Real worms – such as meal worms or nightcrawlers.
Artificial worms – great for trolling and will never die.
Dry flies (floating flies) – The insects that land, float, or live on top of the water, which are represented by dry flies.Investing in a kit gives you a wide assortment of flies and a good selection of types and sizes allow you to quickly adjust to any situation.
Wet flies (sinking flies) – Wet flies imitate insects that develop and inhabit below the water level before emerging and rising to the surface. Investing in a kit gives you a wide assortment of flies and a good selection of types and sizes allow you to quickly adjust to any situation.
Woolly bugger flies – One of the most popular fly patterns ever is the Woolly Bugger. These mimic small fish, leeches, larvae, and worms. Investing in a kit gives you a wide assortment of flies and a good selection of types and sizes allow you to quickly adjust to any situation.
Steamer flies – They can also mimic larger animals found in streams and rivers, including crawfish, larger leeches, and smaller fish. Investing in a kit gives you a wide assortment of flies and a good selection of types and sizes allow you to quickly adjust to any situation.
**The number one key to successful trout fishing, is to use light line (2 to 6 pound) and small hooks (10-14 sizes), and small sinkers

On a Side Note: Tips For Trolling for Trout

If you have access to a boat or kayak, try to put as many lures in the water as possible (obviously, check local laws, regulations, and restrictions, as well as knowing if certain locations have limits) and as far away from the boat as feasible.

Some utilize planer boards and even down riggers to keep the lines away from the boat.

Here’s where a smart professional fishing-guide can and will hook you up with some of the biggest, toughest-fighting fish you’ll ever encounter.

Having high-quality electronics aids in establishing the depth at which fish are continuously feeding, as well as which food source is being consumed the most frequently.

If you examine the shoreline’s structure along with using your fish finder, study the underwater topography of the lake.

If you notice a cliff, it’s likely that the water at its base is deep.

If you observe a chain of islands or exposed main lake humps, there’s a good chance there’s a shallow shoal or channel between them.

Trout prefer drop-offs, channels, and ledges, so you’ll want to troll parallel to these locations rather than over them.

If you stumble upon a place and catch a trout, there’s a good chance there are more.

Luckily there is an in-depth report that you can access, called How To Troll for Trout [A Beginner’s Guide], you’ll learn all the special tips and strategies many of the fishing guides will keep to themselves. Click here to learn more, so you can extend your fishing season all year long.

Largemouth Bass

Largemouth bass is a carnivorous member of the sunfish family.

California grows some MONSTER bass. At any time you could hook into a bass that could be your all-time personal best.

In general, if the water clarity is clear to a slightly stained lake. Meaning finesse techniques (like drop shot fishing), small lures (like football jigs), and thin diameter line gets you the most bites when the wind is calm.

On the other hand, if the water is moderately stained or murky, then you need to choose darker lures. This also means you can get away with using thicker diameter line.

Since the 1980’s this lake has been stocked with Florida-strain largemouth bass. Bass fishing in this lake is not as popular as trout or salmon fishing. Luckily, you can still catch a giant bass by lobbying large swimbaits for glide baits in trout patterns.

Once your arm gets tired you can still catch a ton of fish by throwing a drop shot rig, small crankbait, or dragging a Texas rigged Senko around a fish attracting structure.

If that doesn’t catchem, you can switch to either a drop shot rig or a Neko rig and target points, boulders, or channel swings.

General Largemouth Bass Details

Spawn: Spring, March-May

Food: Shad, minnows, small trout, small salmon, bluegill, perch, crayfish

California State Record: 21lbs 12 oz. Caught in 1991 in Castaic Lake at the main boat ramp.

Table Quality: Decent. Firm white meat.

Angling techniques:

White and Black Crappie

If you like crappie fishing, this lake is filled with them.

The best time to fish for crappie in this lake and other lakes similar to it is in summertime while you’re night using a submerged green light. If you don’t know what a green fishing light is, or if you’re unfamiliar, then click this link to learn more.

Green light fishing at night in this lake is amazing. If you haven’t done it you are missing out. The nights are cool and the night sky is filled with stars…

Anyway, I digress…

White crappie tend to linger over submerged brush and timber and are found in schools. The white crappie are much more tolerant in warmer water than their black crappie cousins.

White crappie have a more “silvery” appearance and lack the dark vertical bars when compared to the black crappie.

Black crappie can be described as having irregular black dots and blotches on the back and have more of a “silvery-olive” background.

Average weight of a white or black crappie in this lake is probably going to be just under a pound.

General Crappie Details

Spawn: April – mid-June

Food: Larvae, small fish, and crustaceans. Threadfin shad and minnows make up their main diet.

California State Record:

White crappie: 4 lbs 8 oz. Caught 4/26/1971 in Clear Lake using minnows.
Black crappie: 4 lbs 8 oz. Caught 2/17/2021 in Clear Lake using minnows.

Table Quality: The meat is excellent. It’s firm, flaky and white.

Angling techniques:

Live minnows under bobbers
Crappie jigs
Crappie tubes
Silver spoons
Spinners

Catfish

There are four species of catfish in California, the blue catfish, bullhead catfish, channel catfish, white catfish.

Catfish are predatory animals and scavengers. Some can get very big, while others remain small. They tend to spend most of their time on the bottom of the lake versus swimming higher in the water column suspended.

Catfish can have up to 8 whisker-like barbels by their mouths to help them detect food.

Blue catfish can get very big. They can weigh more than 100 pounds and grow to around 5 feet long. They have 8 whisker-like barbels by their mouths. They prefer larger cut bait and live bait

Conversely, bullhead catfish tend to be smaller and will weigh on average about 1-2-pounds, but can grow to around 4-5-pounds.

Channel catfish weight will range from 0.5-to-15-pounds in this lake, however the average weight will be between 1-4-pounds.

The smallest of all catfish in North America is the white catfish. These catfish are considered rare by anglers’ standards. They average 1-2 pounds and will grow to only about a foot.

All species prefer warmer coves, but can also be found scavenging near the marinas, or around the dam.

All can be caught with live bait, cut bait or dough bait. Some of the best baits you can use are chicken livers, hotdogs, anchovies, mackerel or sardines, catfish stink-bait/dough baits, or even night crawlers. warm coves or near the dam.

General Catfish Details

Spawn: March-June

Food: Carp, bluegill

California State Record:

Blue catfish – 72 lbs 14 oz. Caught 4/22/2003 in Colorado River (Riverside).

Bullhead catfish – 4 lbs 8 oz. Caught 10/7/1993 in Trinity Lake.

Channel catfish – 53 lbs 8 oz. Caught 9/22/2008 in San Joaquin River.

White catfish – 22 lbs 0 oz. Caught 3/21/1994 in Land Park pond (Sacramento).

Table Quality: Soft white meat. In the summer the meat will taste muddy.

Angling techniques:

chicken liver
hotdogs
stink bait
small live bluegill, sunfish, or perch
Frozen cut bait; anchovies, mackerel or sardines.

Bluegill or Sunfish

Also known collectively as “panfish” or “bream”, these small fish are both predators and prey. They fulfill a mid-tier predator role in the ecosystem.

Panfish are highly aggressive and eat minnows, bass fry (newly hatched baby bass), and insects.

The bluegill has teal-blue coloring on the bottom portion of the chin and gill plate. It also has a solid black opercula flap just behind the gill plate.

Fun fact: The oldest reported age for a bluegill is 10 years.

With the exception of appearance and size, the redear sunfish is quite similar to the bluegill. The dorsal fin of the redear sunfish features tiny vertical bands that go downward. It has a black dorsal color and a yellow-green ventral tint. The male’s operculum has a cherry-red edge, while the female’s has an orange coloring.

These panfish are found on the shoreline and prefer nearby structures. They are incredibly aggressive and will quickly attack anything that looks like it could be eaten. Due to their aggressive behavior, they are one of the easiest fish to catch and are a great way to introduce someone to fishing.

General Bluegill/ Sunfish Details

Spawn: April and May

Food: Small fish and insects

California State Record:

Bluegill – 3 lbs 14 oz. Caught 6/22/2008 in Rancho Murieta Reservoir.

Sunfish (red ear) – 5 lbs 3 oz. 6/27/1994 in Folsom South Canal (Sacramento)

Table Quality: Firm, white meat

Angling techniques:

Worms
Dough balls
Slim Jim sausages pieces on a small hook (not lying… it really works)
Small spinners
Trout flies

Boat Ramps at Lake Perris

Lake Perris Launch Ramp 6

Moreno Valley, CA 92555

Lanes: 5

Restrooms: Yes

Fish Cleaning Station: Yes

Camping nearby: Yes

Marinas at Lake Perris

Lake Perris State Recreation Area & Marina

17801 Lake Perris Dr, Perris, CA 92571

parks.ca.gov

(951) 940-5600

Nearby boat ramp: Yes

Restrooms: Yes

Showers: no

Groceries/snacks available: Yes

Electric: No

Camping nearby: No

Tackle Shops Near Lake Perris

Lakeside Market

4164 N Perris Blvd a, Perris, CA 92571

(951) 943-4364

Last Chance Bait & Tackle

3356 Wentworth Dr, Hemet, CA 92545

lastchancetackle.com

(951) 658-7410

Frank’s Bait & Tackle

12142 California St, Yucaipa, CA 92399

buyfrankstackle.com

(909) 855-2911

Sportsman’s Warehouse

2585 Tuscany St, Corona, CA 92881

stores.sportsmans.com

(951) 382-7100

Camping Near Lake Perris

Lake Perris is blessed with an abundant amount of campgrounds that cater to RVer’s and standard tent campers.

They offer 432 sites spread over five separate campsite loops; Quail Loop, Roadrunner Loop, Coyote Loop, Deer Loop, and Bobcat Loop.

Most campgrounds offer visitors level parking, picnic tables and fire pits. Drinking water and flush toilets are provided.

RV sites can feature full or partial hookups.

Fortunately, most campgrounds are pet friendly, but you must keep your fur-buddy on a leash at all times.

Here is a list of both RV/tent campgrounds and boat-in campgrounds.

Lake Perris Campground – Map & Reservations

Other Activities You Can Do At Lake Perris

Fishing is not the only thing that brings people to the beautiful body of water. Here’s a list of other things you can do!

Biking
Bird watching
Boating
Skiing
Kayaking
Canoeing
Sailing
Swimming
Camping
Horseshoes
Picnicking
Hiking
Gentle walking trails
Nature photography trails
Wildlife viewing
Mountain biking
Stargazing
and most importantly… relaxing.

Lake Perris Fishing Report 2023 [Tips, Spots, Pictures, and Everything You Need to Know]

How To Fish Lake Perris