Some folks like having options when they go fishing, there's no shame in getting skunked if you have a great time I say. The town of Lucerne is a nice intro to Lake County so take a look around.
A little known fact about Lucerne is that it is currently the only gateway town to an entire 330,000 acre national monument established by President Obama in 2015. True story, just ten minutes from the town you can arrive at the entry sign to the Berryess Snow Mountain National Monument and grab a sweet selfy with the National Monument entry signage, our active volcano and the oldest lake in the North America. We're talking prehistoric, 2.5 million years old carved over millenia by vocanic activity and massive geologic forces. In a nutshell you can be part of a national treasure next to an active volcano and a prehistoric lake. Pretty darn cool.
While cruising around town make sure to visit the iconic Lucerne Hotel at 13th and Country Club just one block off the highway. It's an amazing 50,000 square foot beauty the locals call "the castle" which might remind you of the Claremont in Oakland though the Lucerne Hotel is the only actual Swiss Chateau in California.
If you're lucky enough to overnight it here make sure to stay up late and do some metor hunting as we have some of the clearest skies and cleanest air in the entire US.
But let's talk some fishing spots and techniques:
Hot days are good to grab some red worms and seek shade to catch some agressive and delicious bluegill. Try around docks, pilings, etc. and look for other structure that provides habitat for fish, like rockpiles if you're on a boat. Later on, around an hour before sunset cast some anchovy, nightcrawler, liver, mackerel, stink bait, etc 4 cats. At dawn and sundown throw top water baits for big bass as the weed mats appear in late spring.
Or go real big and target carp. :)
Good fishing spots abound along the Northshore though sometimes you'll want to seek deeper water if the bite is light. In the Lucerne area some of my favorite spots include:
Davis Beach which is a great place to enjoy a day at the beach and catch some fish while your not goofing off, just offshore there's a rockpile and you can pull pretty much any of the lake fish from right there.
Lucerne Harbor Park where the bait shack is. That pier can really produce. We've seen more than 50 people line up shoulder to shoulder catching very large crappie and bluegill when the water is high. Down at the end of the pier is a nice cast right toward the volcano where you can land a good sized catfish. Biggest cat from there is 25 pounds, so far. Off the beach in front of the shack I catch plenty of large carp and the largest I've weighed at that beach is 44 pounds. In the springtime you'll find bass nests all around the harbor and right inside of it.
Alpine Park where you'll find a nice pavillion shaded area over the water with tables to hang out.
Town's End before you leave Lucerne toward Nice (pronounced Niece) is a sweet small beach area with some rip rap, tules and other habitat that makes for great casting. You'll know you're in the right place if you've parked near a sign about the Switzerland of America. From that spot you can move West along the beach casting.
Holiday Harbor in Nice is another great spot for a wide variet of fish, you'll want to fish the mouth because the new owner hasn't opened the harbor itself for fishing but the mouth is the chokepoint were fish move in and out of the harbor.
Keeling Park is also in Nice and can be a terrific spot for crappie, particularly at sunset.
Rodman Slough a few minutes away is pretty much famous for huge bass and you might wind up fishing near some famous anglers up there because of it. Rodman is often the first spot for tournament anglers and I've done well on the rocky outcrop just casting straight toward the volcano.
Stop on in and say hello sometime.
Here are some other spots around the county for Crappie as deep as 20 feet and mostly by boat.