Poway

Eager to provide year-round fishing at the San Vicente Reservoir, officials at the state Fish and Game Department have announced plans to introduce striped bass into the lake.

The reservoir is open to fisherman between September and June, but Fish and Game officials say the addition of 1,500 striped bass eventually should bring the fish population to a level where anglers can try their luck every week of the year.

Aquatic Systems Inc., a San Diego-based hatchery, will dump the year-old fish into the reservoir as part of a deal struck with the state, according to Pat Moore, a Fish and Game spokesman.

Fish and Game officials allowed the firm to take broodstock striped bass from the wild several years ago to establish a hatchery in Riverside County. To help fulfill the deal, the firm will dump striped bass from the hatchery into San Vicente Reservoir. If all goes well, the striped bass should grow to about 18 inches by mid-1987, Moore said.

Besides making year-round fishing a possibility, the introduction of striped bass should improve prospects for anglers going after “trophy-size” bass at the lake, which is near Poway. While the largemouth bass currently residing in the lake can reach a weight of up to 21 pounds, the state record for striped bass is 65 pounds, Moore said.