City of Anglers

Fourteen-year-old Choem Ngiam felt a tug on his fishing pole as he reeled in his line. “I got one! I got one!” he shouted to his friends standing beside him.

He quickly drew in the line so the fish couldn’t escape. When his friends saw Choem’s catch, they laughed. It was only a baby trout, a measly 3 inches long.

Choem tossed the fish back into the calm waters of the lake and then quickly cast his line again, hoping for better luck.

Choem and his friend Jeffery Cruz, 12, often ride their bikes to Echo Park Lake after class at nearby King Middle School. There, they meet friends who share their passion for the sport.

The lake is special because it lies in one of the most congested areas of Los Angeles. Echo Park is just yards away from busy Glendale Boulevard and a block or so from the Hollywood Freeway. The green of the park stands in sharp contrast to surrounding residential areas.

The boys take their places on a cement lip at the southern end of the lake, where most of the fishers congregate. From there they have a serene view of the lake and the urban landscape.

The 15-acre lake is one of 29 urban park lakes and suburban reservoirs in Southern California identified as viable fishing lakes by the state Department of Fish and Game.

Jacob Smith, 19, is the only angler in the group who has a fishing license because the rest are under 16.

Smith said the friends try to come to the lake after it has been stocked and there are still fish to catch. “It only lasts maybe a good week,” the Belmont High graduate said.

The lake is stocked twice a month with rainbow trout from November through April. The trout are popular because they are easy to catch. Catfish are planted from May to October, when the water is too warm for trout to survive.

Smith said he tried to quit fishing in October because it was costing him so much money. He even went so far as to give away all of his equipment.

But Smith soon found that he couldn’t give it up. He went back to the sports equipment stores and spent over $1,000 on a couple of fishing rods, some lures, rubber worms and plastic bobbers, he said. The worms are particularly effective on Echo Park Lake’s trout, Smith said.

He said he often goes on saltwater fishing excursions on boats, as well as to nearby freshwater lakes across Southern California.

“It’s a good habit to have,” Smith said. “Keeps you out of trouble.”

The stocking of Echo Park Lake is part of the Urban Fishing Program, started in 1990 by the California Department of Fish and Game to provide fishing opportunities for inner-city residents such as Smith and his friends.

The idea is that people should not have to drive all the way to the ocean or some distant mountain stream to find good fishing. Instead, all they have to do is walk a few blocks to find an oasis right in the center of Los Angeles.

As part of its Urban Fishing Program, the department also sponsors more than a dozen local fishing club chapters.

“It’s good for the kids and those who live to fish but don’t like to go out to piers,” said Otis Floyd, part of a South-Central group called Los Tiburones (the sharks).

Each month Floyd and other volunteers take about 25 youngsters ages 10 to 17 on fishing derbies and excursions.

“We try to show them different techniques and different fishing,” said Floyd, 53. “They do ocean and freshwater.”

The club helps keep the kids out of trouble, he said.

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On tournament days, Floyd and his young anglers arrive at 8 a.m. and fish until noon. Whichever group catches the most fish wins a trophy, which is awarded at the end of the year to the club with the most derby wins.

“It’s relaxing,” said Floyd, who has been coming to Echo Park every week for three years. “You get away and have peace of mind.

“It wouldn’t hurt if I catch a fish now and then,” he added.

The lake also attracts amateur fishermen. Local resident Danilo Castillo, 41, bought a $20 rod and came out to test his luck one afternoon. A friend joined him and the two shared a few beers.

“I haven’t harmed a single fish,” joked the immigrant from Chiapas, Mexico.

Mario Godinez, 39, had much better luck. He came out to the lake at 7 on the morning of a derby and by midday had caught five trout, the limit allowed by Fish and Game.

Godinez accomplished this using two fishing poles and a processed bait designed for catching trout.

Using worms, Godinez once caught a 5-pound catfish, his personal record. The lake also has populations of largemouth bass and common carp. Godinez said the lake gives him something to do with his free time. The accomplished fisherman also brings along his nephew to encourage him to stay away from gangs.

“Instead of wandering around,” Godinez said, “I come to have fun.”