03-18-2003, 10:16 PM
Despite its reputation for being LaLa Land, full of phony glitz and bizarre New Age cultists, Southern California is actually a fisherman's paradise--fresh and saltwater. In addition to the places I mentioned in my post--which are very popular and--especially on weekends--very crowded, there are also some areas where you can get the "wild" experience. For example, the San Gabriel River system--with more forks than a snake's 
--is a great place to fish for trout in relative solitude. Another favorite of mine is the Upper Tujunga Creek watershed, way down in a steep canyon, that's full of wild trout. In fact, it's so wild, that you have to be on the look out for bears and mountain lions. And closer to civilization, there's the Santa Ana River Lakes--not much to look at--just dirt banks and a few scrubby trees--but the state record rainbow trout was caught here--26 pounds! And you can even fish the Santa Ana River system during planting season in the fall. Of course, there's also the so-called "urban" lakes such as Irvine Park Lake. The DFG plants them with pan size rainbows and catfish, depending on the season. Here's a funny story about Irvine Park Lake. About two years ago, a planting truck pulled up to the lake and dumped 5,000 pounds of really big channel cats--up to 15 pounds. The problem was that the driver had made a big mistake. The fish were supposed to go in Irvine Lake--not Irvine Park Lake! There were a lot of surprised--and happy people--catching monster cats at Irvine Lake--it even made TV evening news! So there you have it--and I haven't mentioned the great saltwater fishing--surf, jetties and sportfishing boats. But I guess you don't have it too bad in Utah. I've never been there but I've heard that the fishing is great--especially for a hard-core trout chaser like me!
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--is a great place to fish for trout in relative solitude. Another favorite of mine is the Upper Tujunga Creek watershed, way down in a steep canyon, that's full of wild trout. In fact, it's so wild, that you have to be on the look out for bears and mountain lions. And closer to civilization, there's the Santa Ana River Lakes--not much to look at--just dirt banks and a few scrubby trees--but the state record rainbow trout was caught here--26 pounds! And you can even fish the Santa Ana River system during planting season in the fall. Of course, there's also the so-called "urban" lakes such as Irvine Park Lake. The DFG plants them with pan size rainbows and catfish, depending on the season. Here's a funny story about Irvine Park Lake. About two years ago, a planting truck pulled up to the lake and dumped 5,000 pounds of really big channel cats--up to 15 pounds. The problem was that the driver had made a big mistake. The fish were supposed to go in Irvine Lake--not Irvine Park Lake! There were a lot of surprised--and happy people--catching monster cats at Irvine Lake--it even made TV evening news! So there you have it--and I haven't mentioned the great saltwater fishing--surf, jetties and sportfishing boats. But I guess you don't have it too bad in Utah. I've never been there but I've heard that the fishing is great--especially for a hard-core trout chaser like me![signature]