Top 10 Best Lake Fishing Spots In Orange County
If you live in or around Orange County, California and are itching for some freshwater fishing, there are local lakes that are regularly stocked for you to cast a line and land a decent sized fish. Anglers aged 16 years of age and older will need to have a fishing license on them while fishing these spots. Click here for to purchase your fishing license. Here are the 10 best lake fishing spots in Orange County.
1. Irvine Lake
Irvine lake is Orange County’s largest freshwater fishing spot but is only open from 7 AM to 4 PM on Friday to Sunday. Gates open to the parking lot at 6:30 AM. Fishing is free and parking is $5 per day. Irvine Lake is unique compared to other lakes in Orange County because no fishing license is required to fish here. If you’re new to freshwater fishing, Irvine Lake is an excellent choice to test your new rods and technique.
In the 750 acre lake, you can expect to catch bass, catfish, trout, carp, bluegill, crappie, and sturgeon. Catfish are stocked in the spring and summer months while trout are stocked in the fall and winter months.
The east shore is ideal for catching catfish and bass due to the amount of submerged trees in the area.
There is a tackle shop available at the entrance where you can purchase nightcrawlers, frozen mackerel, fishing equipment, and light snacks.
Irvine Lake also has additional fishing regulations:
Five fish limit
Bass is catch and release only
Catfish larger than 24 inches must be released
2 rods per person maximum
Approved baits: worms, mackerel, dough baits, and artificial lures
No live bats are allowed except worms
Address : 4621 E Santiago Canyon Rd. Silverado ,CA 92676
2. Tri-City Regional Park
Tri-City Regional park hosts an 8-acre lake that is open to fishing everyday from 7:00 AM to 6 PM during the fall and winter and 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM during the spring and summer. The lake is stocked with trout in the winter months and catfish in the summer months. You can also expect to catch bluegill here. There is plenty of free street parking around the perimeter of the park.
Address: 2301 Kraemer Blvd. Placentia, CA 92870
3. Carbon Canyon Regional Park
Located in the city of Brea, Carbon Canyon Park has a small 4-acre lake that is stocked with trout in the winter months and catfish in the summer months. There are 2 piers at this lake that can be used for fishing.
Carbon Canyon Regional Park is open everyday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM in the fall and winter and from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM during the spring and summer. Parking is $3 per vehicle from Monday to Friday and $5 on Saturday and Sunday.
Address: 4442 Carbon Canyon Road Brea, CA 92823
4. Laguna Niguel Regional Park
Laguna Niguel Regional Park is home to a beautiful 44-acre lake that is stocked with catfish and trout. You can also catch bass, blue gill, crappie, and carp here. There are fish cleaning stations located around the lake.
It is open from 7:00 AM to 6: PM in the fall and winter and from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM in the spring and summer. Parking is $3 on Monday to Friday and $5 on Saturday to Sunday.
Address: 28241 La Paz Road Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
5. Ralph B. Clark Regional Park
Located in Buena Park at the foot of the Coyote Hills, Ralph B. Clark Regional Park has a 3 acre lake that is stocked with catfish and trout. There are also small bass, sunfish, and bluegill.
It is open from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM during the fall and winter and from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM during the spring and summer.
Address: 8800 Rosecrans Ave. Buena Park, CA 90621
6. Mile Square Regional Park
Mile Square Regional park is located in Fountain Valley and has two fishing lakes. It is stocked with trout from the winter into early spring and catfish during the summer. You can also expect to catch largemouth bass, bluegill, and carp.
The park is open everyday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM in the fall and winter and 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM during the spring and summer. Parking is $3 per vehicle on Monday to Friday and $5 on Saturday to Sunday. There is plenty of free street parking around the perimeter of the lake or in the neighborhoods across the street.
Address: 16801 Euclid St. Fountain Valley, CA 92708
7. Yorba Regional Park
Located in Anaheim next to the Santa Ana River, Yorba Regional park has a series of 4 open lakes with connecting streams. You can look to catch trout, bluegill, largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, and carp at this lake. Trout is stocked during the winter and catfish is stocked during the summer.
Yorba Regional Park is open from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM in the fall and winter and from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM during the spring and summer. Parking costs $3 per vehicle during the week and $5 on the weekends but you can find free parking next to the softball fields.
Address: 7600 E La Palma Ave. Anaheim, CA 92807
8. Irvine Regional Park
Located in Orange, you can try your hand at catching trout, catfish, bass, carp, bluegill, and sunfish at Irvine Regional Park lake.
The park is open everyday from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM in the fall and winter and 6:00 Am to 9:00 Pm during the spring and summer. Parking is $3 during the week and $5 on the weekend per vehicle.
Address: 1 Irvine Park Rd. Orange CA 92869
9. Laguna lake
Nestled in a neighborhood in northern Fullerton, Laguna Lake is a fun and relaxing fishing spot where you can catch catfish during the summer, trout during the winter, bass, bluegill, and carp. There is plenty of room for shoreline fishing around this 7 acre lake and it hardly gets crowded.
Parking is free in the parking lots located just outside the lake and along the streets.
Address: 3120 Lakeview Dr. Fullerton, CA 92832
10. Eisenhower Park Lake
Eisenhower Park is a 16 acre lake stocked with trout in the winter and catfish in the spring and summer. There is plenty of space around the lake to cast a line and it is generally not crowded.
The park is open everyday from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM. There is no charge for parking.
