Sports

Trout Season Opens Saturday at Lake Mission Viejo

People line up around the block for the opening of trout season at Lake Mission Viejo.

On Thursday, a tractor trailer loaded with cool water and about two tons of rainbow trout will visit Lake Mission Viejo, said lake biologist Tom Bukowski.

Now that the weather is cool enough, the lake can now hold the cold-blooded fish. The trout season officially opens Saturday at 6 a.m.

This will mark the lake's 36th consecutive year of trout fishing for Lake Mission Viejo members.

Every two weeks until April, more fish will be added to the lake from two suppliers; one from Northern California, the other from Nebraska.

New fishers should check out the lake's rules on fishing before casting off, Bukowski said. One of those rules prohibits fishers from releasing trout.

"They don't handle too well when they're released," Bukowski said.

Another rule is that each fisher is limited to four fish per day.

If you are new to fishing and want to give it a try, Bukowski suggests coming down and seeing how others do it.

"Just come down, sniff around and talk to people," he said. "There's a lot of activity this time of year. People are cleaning their boats and getting their gear ready."

Bukowski tests the water temperature to make sure the trout will do well. He said water quality is critical to the success of the fishing season.

And that's important, because fishing the lake is very popular.

"Gates open at 6, but people line up hours before that, even around the block to get in," he said. 

But if you're not an early riser, you may still catch fish. Once the early morning crowd has caught their limit, there should be plenty of fish left for everyone else, he said.

The fishing season is limited to how long the water stays cold, Bukowski said.

"It's a put-and-take fishery," he said. "(The trout) don't survive the summer here. We might see some in mid-summer, but it's pretty rare."


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