Gone (Urban) Fishin’ : City Anglers Can Now Lure Trout From Lakes in Mile Square Park
Marco Aviles and his preschool son, Nelson, waited lakeside in Mile Square Regional Park, their fishing pole at the ready, eager to have a crack at the rainbow trout planted Thursday morning in the lake.
The trout shipment is part of the state’s Urban Lakes Program, which began stocking some Orange and Los Angeles county lakes with trout last year. Funded by revenue from fishing licenses and taxes on sporting goods sales, the program has two goals: to bring fishing into metropolitan areas and to bring trout, instead of the more commonly stocked catfish, to the urban angler.
“Since more and more people have been moving into the metropolitan areas, fishable waters moved farther and farther outside town,” causing many to give up the sport, said Patrick Moore of the California Department of Fish and Game.
The agency has not planted urban lakes with trout for at least 25 years. In recent times, lakes like the two in Mile Square Park were stocked with catfish, which “doesn’t dance on the water, it doesn’t jump, it doesn’t run, it doesn’t do those sorts of things that anglers like to see.”
The Urban Lakes Program was so well received last year that the agency decided to double the number of lakes stocked this year, adding Mile Square, the only newcomer in Orange County, to the list of parks. Mile Square Regional Park’s two lakes received almost 2,000 trout; another thousand were dumped in both Tri-City Lake in Placentia and Centennial Lake in Santa Ana--almost a ton of fish.
The venture is not just popular with the public. Trout Unlimited, a national conservation organization dedicated to preserving wild trout and cold-water fisheries, raves about it, although it has been critical of the genetically inferior hatchery-grown trout in the past.
“We think it’s a great program,” said Kevin Reed, president of the organization’s Los Angeles County chapter, “because it reduces the impact on streams and lakes that are harder to get to that can’t handle heavy traffic.”
The program’s strength, he added, is that it keeps wild trout separate from hatchery-grown trout, which can damage the wild fish by competing with them for habitat and food.
About a dozen people, many of whom had children resting on their shoulders, watched as Fish and Game workers hoisted the half-pound trout, grown at Mojave River Hatchery in Victorville, into the lake off of Euclid Avenue. They scooped net after net-full of some 1,000 flapping fish into the water before unloading the same amount into the park’s other lake.
The first nibble came in 20 minutes to the fishing pole of Marco Aviles, 27, of Fountain Valley.
“We know who’s the fisherman out here,” he said with a laugh, letting his son Nelson, 3, reel in the catch. The boy tried unsuccessfully to hold onto the slippery fish as a playmate watched and laughed. Then Marco put the trout on a stringer, saying they would try to catch some more and eat them later.
Not everyone planned to make dinner of their catch. Joe and Annette Banuelos, among the first to arrive Thursday, were there for the recreation.
“While the kids are at school, we go and do some fishing--we play,” said Joe, 32.
“I’m going to wait for an hour to let the fish settle,” Joe said. “They’re still dizzy.” But spurred on by the infectious enthusiasm of the other anglers, he cast his line into the calm water.
Joe said he may throw his catch, which he got 20 minutes later, back. He used hooks with short, blunt tips that protect the trout from being fatally cut and a submersible container to store the caught fish under water.
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If the Fish and Game department scientists had their wish, though, everyone would take their catch home.
“We prefer that they keep them because they’re not going to survive” indefinitely in the lake, said John Sunada, a department biologist.
He estimated that at least 50% of the fish are caught by anglers, others die of natural causes or are eaten by birds and other wildlife.
With a $23 state fishing license, anyone can fish for the trout, which cost the department about $2 each to raise and release, Moore said. Before putting those valuable commodities in the lake, Sunada’s office made sure the ponds would be a safe environment.
A year before approving the new sites, scientists tested each proposed lake for oxygen, pH level, temperature, and the presence of copper, a toxic substance used to control algae in some lakes.
“It’s one of the better lakes,” he said, referring to Mile Square park.
Trout will be planted again at the lakes in late February. If trout thrive there and people continue to fish, more shipments will come about every two weeks until April, when catfish, which can survive in warmer temperatures, will be planted. Department surveyors will check twice a month on how the program is going at the new sites, Moore said.
About Trout The rainbow trout is one of 10 species of trout in North America and is considered a good sport fish as well as a good eating fish. A profile of the rainbow trout: *
* Habitat: Native to western North America; lives in freshwater streams and lakes. Those living in the ocean and returning to fresh water to spawn are called steelhead trout. *
* Markings: Black spots on upper body and tail, brilliant reddish band along sides, strong teeth and streamlined body with small scales. A small, fleshy fin grows on the back near the tail fin. *
* Diet: Young rainbows mainly eat invertebrates including insects. Mature trout feed on other fish and crayfish. They occasionally eat young birds, lizards or other animals that fall into the water. *
* Weight: Can reach up to 30 pounds in four to five years on a trout farm. *
* Spawning: In early spring, trout move upstream to a spawning area. The female chooses a shallow, gravel area at the beginning of a stretch of choppy water. She turns on her side and beats her tail up and down, scooping out a shallow nest called a redd and positions herself over it. A male swims alongside her and quivers his body. When the female is ready to spawn, she moves to the bottom of the redd and presses her belly against the gravel. As she releases eggs, male releases sperm that fertilize the eggs. The female covers the eggs with gravel. *
* Offspring: Eggs hatch in about two months. The young push up through the gravel into the water. *
* Life Span: Up to 11 years. *
* Overseas Fish: In 1884, the rainbow trout was introduced into European and other waters.
Pond to Platter Two quick and easy trout recipes use trout to fill the plate, and won’t bust a budget either: * Corn-Stuffed Trout (makes four servings) * Ingredients * 4 whole dressed, fresh or frozen trout * 1 (8 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn * 1/2 cup bread crumbs * 1 teaspoon instant onion * 1/4 teaspoon salt * 1/8 teaspoon black pepper * Dash thyme leaves, crushed * 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine * Preparation 1. Thaw trout, if frozen. Rinse with cool water. Pat dry with paper towels. 2. Combine corn, bread crumbs, onion, salt, pepper and thyme. Spoon mixture into trout cavities. Brush fish with melted butter. 3. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork. 4. Garnish with lemon and serve with buttered broccoli. * Fried Trout (makes two servings) * Ingredients * 2 whole frozen trout * Salt, pepper * Flour * 3 tablespoons butter or margarine * 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms * 1/4 cup chopped green onions * 2 teaspoons lemon juice * 1 tablespoon vermouth * Preparation 1. Thaw trout. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Dust with flour. 2. Saute in two tablespoons butter, 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove to platter and keep warm. 3. Add remaining tablespoon butter to skillet. Saute mushrooms and green onions until tender. Stir in lemon juice and vermouth and pour over trout. 4. Complete with a tossed green salad and herb-broiled tomato halves. * Sources: World Book Encyclopedia, “The Complete Book of Fishing: A Guide to Freshwater, Saltwater and Big-Game Fishing”; Researched by CAROLINE LEMKE/Los Angeles Times