The state is spending a lot more this year to stock California waters. That’ll mean more catches like these rainbows Salah Farrog nailed using a Needlefish at Pyramid Lake. Photo by Chris Shaffer

For more than a decade, California trout anglers have lived through lean times. Budget cuts sliced the number of trout stocked around the state. The California Department of Fish and Game pulled popular waters off the allotment list. There weren’t enough trout to go around. But anglers can now breathe a sigh of relief.

In 2005, the State Assembly came to its senses and passed a law forcing the CDFG to allocate more license-sales money to stocking trout and maintaining wild-trout waters.

After nearly two years of planning, anglers will see the results this year.

“Trout stocking will increase in 2007,” said Dave Lentz, a senior fisheries biologist with the CDFG. “There will be many more fish stocked in lakes, rivers and streams.”

The stocking increase begins now, and ramps up over time. By 2009, the goal is restore production on catchable trout to early-1990s levels -- about 5 million pounds of catchable trout.

“It’s hard to say that at any given location, someone will notice there will be more fish,” said Lentz. “But we know there will be more fish stocked this year.” People who enjoy catching stocked, hatchery trout will reap the benefits, he said. “It’s a huge increase, but it will take us a few years to reach that goal.”

On the heels of that good news, here is a roundup of opportunities to catch Golden State trout right now.

THE NORTH STATE
Few lakes will be able to stand tall next to Lake Almanor, according to kokanee guru and tackle manufacturer Sep Hendrickson of Sep’s Pro Fishing. Almanor has benefited from several years of excellent water conditions and will be dynamite again this year, he said.

“Almanor is phenomenal. It’s kicking out great rainbow and brown trout. As soon as the water starts warming up and the sun hits it, the fish go on the prowl. They take off and go on a feeding binge in April and May,” Hendrickson said. “After a lot of way-down years, we’ve had great water-years. The minnow populations and the food base are up, and everything is flourishing.”

Larry Hanson, CDFG reservoir biologist, believes the increase in trout stocking will be evident in his region.

“This is going to bring stocking levels back to the early 1990s levels. We are going back to the numbers of fish that we used to stock,” he added. “It’s going to be across the board. But in the northern regions, where we stock more trout, you are going to see a difference.”