confused about keeping or releasing fish

[jimnyo]

**WARNING! potential stupid question ahead...** :LOL:

ok, so like i said, i'm a total newbie and i'm reading thru posts as much as i can to figure out what i'm supposed to be doing. i'm confused about the whole catch and release thing. on the one hand, i'd like to keep the fish i catch to eat it (if i ever catch any...). however, i've seen on several posts people tsk tsking people for not returning certain fish to the water, i guess b/c they're so big? i'm not sure why...but then in other posts it seems people get pissed at others who are doing "catch and release" b/c it seems to kill the fish? so can someone please clarify whether or not it's ok to keep the fish i catch, why/why not, when it's ok, etc.? thank you sooooo much!

[smokehound]

Personally, i have no beef with anyone keeping a fish, so long as you intend to actually eat it.

but there are those that just like to parade the carcass around with no intention of consuming it. Not only is that just terrible, and a waste of a meal someone else could have eaten, but it's also against the law. Often these people will freeze a fish and never use it, throwing it out to make room...

Keeping a bass is often frowned upon in smaller lakes, because they are important for lake health. That and people dont like to see a fish they respect and revere defiled in such a manner.. Now in a larger lake, however, its more accepted. When bluegill populations explode, they consume so much food, that all the fish, except for the larger bass stunt and stay tiny, due to depleted insect/crustacean forage.

You dont want to eat a fish that spent 4-5 years in a park lake, anyway. Blech. thats very dangerous, they put tons of pesticides in that grass, and during winter that all goes into the lake. And duck poop.

Largemouth bass legal size is now 15 inches in many lakes.

Some lakes have even higher size limits, castaic lake has an 18 inch minimum size limit.

It's your right, however, to keep a fish within the legal size limit, and while some people will bash you, most generally accept it.

[Thisfool]

i think the post you read that had people getting mad for releasing a fish was probably a trout report they get mad about that well for one at some of the lakes that is agents the rules lake such as Irvine, sarl and corona this is agents the rule and also trout die extremely easy and unless the utmost care is taken in the whole process of catching it, landing it, removing the hook and making sure it is well enough to be released it has a high chance of dyeing making it a wasted fish.

people don’t seem to care to much about this when it comes to cat fish except for the fact at the lakes i said before it is agents the rules.

when it comes to large mouth bass people get mad if some one keeps it due to the fact that in many local lakes they have been poached to a point where there is barely a sustainable population. Also many people i think due to the recent explosion of bass fishing as a mainstream sport believe that bass are a trophy to be coveted and respected and left to grow huge and make many babies for the future angler to catch. But at lakes like Irvine which is a private lake that has bass turnnys it is agents the rules to keep a bass in the efforts to make the lake a great bass fishery

Stripped bass on the other hand MUST DIE. they are a invasive species to so cal waters even the people who want them to stay agree they should not be released due to the fact that they will destroy a fishery and literally eat them self into starvation they say lake skinner is a perfect example of this the stripped bas have completely taken over and almost eaten everything and growth has stunted dude to there huge numbers and huge competition for food. so the best way to keep stripped bass big and healthy is to thin out there numbers

[dafishahman]

I agree. I had LMB once and that's it. release em. Table fair like Stripers, Trout, Catfish even Crappie to your discretion and whatever parameters DFG has set. I eat my catch. I release whatever I'm not intending to eat. (big or small).

[fisherman from long beach]

its all about what kinda fisherman YOU are!some people that catch big breeder calicos release them to help secure the population,some take is a prize and gut its and bbq time.freshwater your allowed to keep lmb if you want as long as its legal,but dont post it here you'll get bass nazi's all over your arse.but if your in the legal you can do what you want.

[Billy Bass]

I really don't like people keeping LMB. On the other hand what really grinds my gears are people who use treble hooks and power bait to catch a trout, dig the hook out with a pair of pliers, then throw the fish back to die "because it wasn't big enough". What a waste!
I fell the rules should be changed so that any trout caught on a treble hook (I always use single hooks, thank you) must be retained.

I personally feel the only fresh water fish worth keeping and eating are stripers!! Yummie!

:Applause::Applause:

[EL_CHIDO]

Definately not a stupid thread, jimnyo.

It is good to ask these important types of questions so that all us anglers are a little more informed.

[Nessie Hunter]

It boils down to Quantity & Quality....

Trout and catfish are stocked on a regular basis..
Most pan fish breed like rabbits and will fill a lake in no time.
Stripers are invasive and are not supposed to be in our lakes, they come in through the aqueduct and seem to be breeding in the lakes. They are veracious predators and eat everything they can catch.
Stripers are an ocean fish that has adapted to fresh water...

The LMB & SMB are not stocked and dont breed as well as many other species. The Eggs and fry are prey for almost every other fish & birds...

We need to protect them as best we can or they will go the way of the DoDo bird...

CPR on all the LMB & SMB..........

They get in our lakes when the DFG catches some at other lakes to be transported to the new lake.
Very limited quantities, and are almost never replenished...
Excellent game fish... Its up to us to keep them in our lakes in any fishable quantity........



.

[xjdesertfox]

The way i do it, which i know many others follow.

hatchery trout and catfish: catch and eat.
wild trout: catch and release with single hooks only
All types of bass except striped bass: catch and release, however i plan on eating a legal sized one soon just to experience the taste.
Striped bass: Catch and eat, unless its a small one which i know will have high chance of survival if i release it.
panfish: i dont fish for them but i know most keep them.
Carp: catch and give to someone who wants it.

and i know this is the freshwater section, but if you get into saltwater bay fishing:

CATCH AND RELEASE ALL BAY BASS.

[Hoshnasi]

Can only comment on my local waters but I only keep stocked trout and catfish, everything else is catch and release. Mainly because there isn't all that much of everything else in there :)

[smokinflies]

jimnyo, there's nothing wrong with "cooking what you catch", as long as you follow the rules and regulations set by the CA DFG and/or the lakes themselves.

Pick up a copy of the Ca DFG Rules/regs booklet , read it, and when visiting a lake ask an employee what the lake's rules/regs are and you should be fine.

[IslandBoi]

I keep everything.... I usually like to cruise the lakeshore and with my treble hook, I like to snag whatever I can, and then I'll just launch it back in the lake, I try to see how far I can throw the fish.....I like to throw M80's in the water to and see how many fish will float to the top. I usually don't eat anything I catch, I just usually leave it by the lake and let mother nature take its course. Sometimes I like fishing with goldfish, pretty good bites too, ya'll should try it....

If I'm fishing the salt, I take everything too. I love small halibuts to use as a frisbee, just let them dry out and FLING!!! just like a frisbee... Who cares dude, just take whatever you want, cuz what do we care, they are just fish right........

This kind of mentality is what is killing or lakes, streams and oceans ....

Being from the islands, my dad taught me these things
Respect nature, for she is the one who really provides for us
&
Only keep what your going to eat. Don't keep more then what is needed....

[RTG]

Jimnyo
You have to decide for yourself what works best for you. All fish species deserve respect, and everyone has their own favorites. LMB, SMB, all sunfish species (except Sacramento perch), and even catfish and many trout species are not native to California, including the infamous stripers.
LMB and SMB are not even true bass, they are in the sunfish family. Sunfish are good to eat. You shouldn't feel guilty about eating them once in a while. Keep a couple of eaters (12-14 inches?) and release the others. If you catch any fish that is deep-hooked and bleeding either cut the line as close to the hook as possible and release it, or consider keeping that one ONLY if it is legal-sized. If a water you fish has an overpopulation of fish (crappie at Lake Gregory) then keep a limit. Smaller legal-sized fish usually taste better than large ones. If you catch a trophy that you want to mount take several pictures from many angles and measure it. Then release it and get a fiberglass mount. You can't tell the difference from a skin mount and the fish lives to breed and fight another day!
Don't let others personal feelings about eating one species of fish over another determine what you should do. Just take what you can use and release the rest. You received a lot of good info from everyone on this thread, now go have some fun. With all this talk I believe I'll have beer-battered crappie tonight!

[FISHINGBEE]

**WARNING! potential stupid question ahead...** :LOL:

ok, so like i said, i'm a total newbie and i'm reading thru posts as much as i can to figure out what i'm supposed to be doing. i'm confused about the whole catch and release thing. on the one hand, i'd like to keep the fish i catch to eat it (if i ever catch any...). however, i've seen on several posts people tsk tsking people for not returning certain fish to the water, i guess b/c they're so big? i'm not sure why...but then in other posts it seems people get pissed at others who are doing "catch and release" b/c it seems to kill the fish? so can someone please clarify whether or not it's ok to keep the fish i catch, why/why not, when it's ok, etc.? thank you sooooo much! If you like eating the fish then by all means keep them. My Grandpa just could not fish unless he ate his catch. Bass however has become a fish of catch and release to most. Only because no one really stocks them. Trout on the other hand die after the hot weather arrives. I lived in the times where bass was a common fish to keep and eat. If your gonna keep bass just expect someone to give you crap over it.

FISHINGBEE

[pekso]

**WARNING! potential stupid question ahead...** :LOL:

ok, so like i said, i'm a total newbie and i'm reading thru posts as much as i can to figure out what i'm supposed to be doing. i'm confused about the whole catch and release thing. on the one hand, i'd like to keep the fish i catch to eat it (if i ever catch any...). however, i've seen on several posts people tsk tsking people for not returning certain fish to the water, i guess b/c they're so big? i'm not sure why...but then in other posts it seems people get pissed at others who are doing "catch and release" b/c it seems to kill the fish? so can someone please clarify whether or not it's ok to keep the fish i catch, why/why not, when it's ok, etc.? thank you sooooo much!

I think you gotta learn somehwere so no question is a stupid question. My family have always been about respecting nature and what it gives us. I do eat my trouts, cats, and stripers!!! delicious. I've have LMB legal size of course and to be honest great tasting fish. I catch n release 99% of my LMB tho cuz they are so respect and so much fun to catch. I get sooooo mad when i see these jerks at the wash take the baby bass home for their tanks, i even saw a few guys netting the lil ones to use em on trebles to catch bigger ones. But i was in the wash all by myself and there was quite a few of them . dont want "deadmans lake" to really have a dead man in it haha.

[Señor.Chilax]

What I'm planning on doing is eat a fish of every species I catch. If I fished it, and it's legal, I'm taking it and I'm eating it that same day. At least one time. And I'll write a thread to tell you how it taste. But we also have to respect our fishery, I'm not gonna cut open a beautiful 5lb LMB(not like I've ever caught one before). On the other hand, some lakes have their own rules and you have to follow them the same way you follow the DFG rules because it all comes down to respect for mother nature... without it, there would be no fishing.

[Ray Lopez]

I'll answer your question to the best of my ability.

First off i have kept and eaten a handfull of LMB when i was a teenager up at lake shasta. They were not very tasty and the meat was on the tough side.

Later in life when i got into bass fishing head first i learned as to why people CPR all LMB.

LMB only spawn once a year and the waters around LA to SD and up towards the delta are managed by the DWP and the water districts for drinking purposes. They really don't care about the fishing and the spawn times.

When Bass spawn at least for Castaic and the Lagoon is typically a time when they drop the water levels drastically for human consumption and irrigation. Bass spawn in shallow water and when the water drops BAM there goes the future bass population. So to keep the populations up and healthy I as a bass angler make sure to Catch Picture and Release all Bass other then striper they are everywhere and take over lakes.

CPR is all about keeping a healthy population of LMB or any other species and even more so important for people like myself that catch a ton of fish.

[Swank909]

Just to chime in on the topic at hand.

I have no issues with people keeping their catch. If it is a legal sized fish, caught with methods deemed acceptable by the DFG, with a valid Fishing License. In that case I have no right to push my beliefs on others.

Bluegills and other small sunfish (limit of 25 now i think)
Stocked fish: Trout and Catfish (limit of 5)
LMB & SMB (Limit of 2 in some lakes)

You can see a trend in the fish limit, the more rare the fish is in that ecosystem the lower the limit.

The issue with salt water fish is the amount of time it can take a fish to reach a legal size. It can take a male Halibut 7 years to reach 22 inches, and its the same situation with the harbor bass.

Its up to every fisherman to decide on his Catch and or Release tactics. I've caught a couple LMB but never kept one, if one dies by accident I will eat it. Same for halibut but, If i ever get my first legal halibut I will keep it (if its under25" or so), but I plan to release the rest. Like I said its up to you to decide what it is you want to do, just don't be wasteful.

[seal]

Seems like most that are posting on this thread respect the right of licensed fisherman to keep legal fish and are not being judgemental or critical.

Where are all those that constantly give people crap for occasionally keeping a LMB? I would love to hear from them not to understand their reasons for wanting to C&R LMB's, we've all heard those points and they have validity, but as to why they feel the need to bully, pester and otherwise screw with anybody that decides to keep an occasional legal LMB. I need to understand it because at this point I just can't understand it. I don't see why everytime somebody posts a pic of a kept LMB that automatic negative responses occur.

Please enlighten us so we can all get along on this board, C&R and so called "Meat Hunters".

[Hoshnasi]

...
LMB & SMB (Limit of 2 in some lakes)

You can see a trend in the fish limit, the more rare the fish is in that ecosystem the lower the limit.
...

I agree that it is legal, but at the same time there is no reason why anglers familiar with different waters can't frown on the practice of keeping certain fish.

Lets put this into perspective. The DFG makes these rules for whole state, they are trying to tow a middle ground here. However I believe many if not most park lakes would see the waters emptied of the bass if everyone kept two of what they caught.

I know in particular, if someone pulled up 25 bluegill there would not be that many left in my home waters, which would ruin the fun for many people.

Just making a point, that its legal, but its nice to try and share the water and the enjoyment...

keep all stockers though, up to the limit.

[seal]

I agree that it is legal, but at the same time there is no reason why anglers familiar with different waters can't frown on the practice of keeping certain fish.

Lets put this into perspective. The DFG makes these rules for whole state, they are trying to tow a middle ground here. However I believe many if not most park lakes would see the waters emptied of the bass if everyone kept two of what they caught.

I know in particular, if someone pulled up 25 bluegill there would not be that many left in my home waters, which would ruin the fun for many people.

Just making a point, that its legal, but its nice to try and share the water and the enjoyment...

keep all stockers though, up to the limit.

Yup I would agree, but there is a heck of a difference between 1 or 2 LMB's in let's say a reservoir like DVL than 5 LMB's out of a small urban lake. It's the consistency of the responses that is bothersome to me, it waters down the message when people cry 'Wolf' everytime a LMB is kept.

[Hoshnasi]

Yup I would agree, but there is a heck of a difference between 1 or 2 LMB's in let's say a reservoir like DVL than 5 LMB's out of a small urban lake. It's the consistency of the responses that is bothersome to me, it waters down the message when people cry 'Wolf' everytime a LMB is kept.

I thinks its actually a good thing that we anglers generally discourage the keeping of certain fish. The DFG can't be agile enough to set limits that are actually substinative for every body of water, nor would we be able to keep up with so many different limits at those same waters. So, many take it as their own mission to try and get the word out on why its a good idea to not take certain species. Some take it to a bad place sometimes, but I think the message is solid and should be reitereated when needed. Ray Lopez (http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/showthread.php?48048-confused-about-keeping-or-releasing-fish&p=474074#post474074) did an amazing job I think in particular not just saying "Don't keep the bass" but explaining why. I learned something.

[seal]

I thinks its actually a good thing that we anglers generally discourage the keeping of certain fish. The DFG can't be agile enough to set limits that are actually substinative for every body of water, nor would we be able to keep up with so many different limits at those same waters. So, many take it as their own mission to try and get the word out on why its a good idea to not take certain species. Some take it to a bad place sometimes, but I think the message is solid and should be reitereated when needed. Ray Lopez (http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/showthread.php?48048-confused-about-keeping-or-releasing-fish&p=474074#post474074) did an amazing job I think in particular not just saying "Don't keep the bass" but explaining why. I learned something.

Until LMB's are regulated as a C&R only species then people are going to keep um, I would have no problem with that regulation, but it's all in how the message is made and that's where I get annoyed. You are right, if the message is made in a courteous and educational way I'm all for it, but if someone makes a post with a kept LMB and every response is an "Education" then it gets repetitive and watered down. But the deal is there are those that fish strictly for sport and there are those that fish for fun and food, neither one is wrong and I don't believe that all LMB's need to be released from every lake to sustain a healthy LMB population. I would like to see more lakes listed as C&R only for LMB's or at the very least change regs. to 2 LMB's with size/slot requirements (like Silverwood).

I guess I'm done, I think I'm getting repetitive and watered down at this point:LOL:! Thanks for the input Hoshnasi!

[Ray Lopez]

I thinks its actually a good thing that we anglers generally discourage the keeping of certain fish. The DFG can't be agile enough to set limits that are actually substinative for every body of water, nor would we be able to keep up with so many different limits at those same waters. So, many take it as their own mission to try and get the word out on why its a good idea to not take certain species. Some take it to a bad place sometimes, but I think the message is solid and should be reitereated when needed. Ray Lopez (http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/showthread.php?48048-confused-about-keeping-or-releasing-fish&p=474074#post474074) did an amazing job I think in particular not just saying "Don't keep the bass" but explaining why. I learned something.

Thanks, yea i'm used to telling others as to why this method is very productive towards our fishing populations. Here in Cali we have alot of pressure on our few lakes. It's up to the anglers to help keep these populations in order so that in the future the next generation of anglers have the chance to catch everything we get to catch.

I've talked to many older guys that tell me about how EPIC the fishing was back in the days (before strict limits were enacted). They used to pull tons of bigger fish but they also used to keep them all. You look at it now and see that the fishing has changed dramatically on some of these bodies of water.

Trout: These are typically stocked fish from the DFG. They are put into lakes for the take. So the 5 fish limit is allowable. But in different areas like streams, rivers and lakes where they are the general population and can make it year round then i also believe in a certain amount of catch and release. (this just increases the odds that they can get huge and be a trophy catch one day).

Bass: These have not been stocked in our local waters for years, they have a hard time keeping the spawn alive and need our help to keep the populations abundant. So by Catch and Release you help to keep the lakes healthy and populated. Just think that every bass you toss back to the drink in a healthy lake could potentially become the next World record fish, or at least a big fat DD fish. In the cases you do catch a bass over 10 pounds remember the flesh is gonna be horrible for consumption and when you release that fish you are allowing it to spawn the next time for a new batch of potential double digit fish.
But in some cases there are lakes and ponds that are overpopulated (my new little honey hole has this problem). You end up catching a ton of bass but they are all skinny and malnourished. In these cases i don't see a problem keeping a few for dinner. But in my case for my local honey hole I have figured a plan to help the population by adding about 1000 or more crawdads and possibly some shad and some bluegill and other panfish. I figure in a year or twos time this should add a good amount of feed for the bass in this pond. If not then maybe culling some bass would be beneficial to this pond.

Striped Bass: These fish are a everywhere now. They breed non stop and take over lakes. Oh and they taste awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These fish have 10 fish limits on most waters in So Cal. Some lakes need to make that 20 fish limits lol. (look what they did to upper castaic lake: it used to be the prime bass fishery in the world for the next potential world record, but the striped bass took over)


Until LMB's are regulated as a C&R only species then people are going to keep um, I would have no problem with that regulation, but it's all in how the message is made and that's where I get annoyed. You are right, if the message is made in a courteous and educational way I'm all for it, but if someone makes a post with a kept LMB and every response is an "Education" then it gets repetitive and watered down. But the deal is there are those that fish strictly for sport and there are those that fish for fun and food, neither one is wrong and I don't believe that all LMB's need to be released from every lake to sustain a healthy LMB population. I would like to see more lakes listed as C&R only for LMB's or at the very least change regs. to 2 LMB's with size/slot requirements (like Silverwood).

I guess I'm done, I think I'm getting repetitive and watered down at this point:LOL:! Thanks for the input Hoshnasi!

Yes that's why I typically keep my C&R speeches to the PM or on a personal level. Everyone has an opinion on the subject. I personally hate watching a big beautiful bass being taken from the lake but as long as it's legal I can't say anything. But when I take someone out for bass fishing that might be a meat man then I will tell them if I take you out and show you what to do I'm also gonna give you some schooling on why you should catch and release and you wont keep any bass while fishing with me. That's just a rule of mine. I'm in no way a Bass Nazi and I will never jump on anyone for keeping a fish here and there for the dinner table.

[RTG]

While it is with good intentions that you may want to supply a certain body of water with forage to make it healthier, it is illegal. State laws prohibit the movement of live fish. This includes those who "stock" their home aquariums with wild sport fishes. California laws also prohibit the possession of these fishes as pets.
Just a word of advise.

[adiablo420]

Personally, i have no beef with anyone keeping a fish, so long as you intend to actually eat it.

but there are those that just like to parade the carcass around with no intention of consuming it. Not only is that just terrible, and a waste of a meal someone else could have eaten, but it's also against the law. Often these people will freeze a fish and never use it, throwing it out to make room...




Keeping a bass is often frowned upon in smaller lakes, because they are important for lake health. That and people dont like to see a fish they respect and revere defiled in such a manner.. Now in a larger lake, however, its more accepted. When bluegill populations explode, they consume so much food, that all the fish, except for the larger bass stunt and stay tiny, due to depleted insect/crustacean forage.

You dont want to eat a fish that spent 4-5 years in a park lake, anyway. Blech. thats very dangerous, they put tons of pesticides in that grass, and during winter that all goes into the lake. And duck poop.

Largemouth bass legal size is now 15 inches in many lakes.

Some lakes have even higher size limits, castaic lake has an 18 inch minimum size limit.

It's your right, however, to keep a fish within the legal size limit, and while some people will bash you, most generally accept it.

YEA .. WHAT HE SAID... !!! Its is hard sometimes...

[Ray Lopez]

While it is with good intentions that you may want to supply a certain body of water with forage to make it healthier, it is illegal. State laws prohibit the movement of live fish. This includes those who "stock" their home aquariums with wild sport fishes. California laws also prohibit the possession of these fishes as pets.
Just a word of advise.
This is known but also the body of water i'm talking about is a ninja spot anyway and not a "legal" fishing area. All stockings will be done in the dark of night.

Also mostly it's gonna be crawdads that get stocked in there for a strong food source and to make the bass teeth dull. Damn fish in this pond have some sharp teeth

[kwin]

Regulations are put into effect to allow for harvest that will likely meet management objectives for a given water. Harvest within the parameters set by the regulations are an important tool in managing a particular water, For example striped bass have a much higher reproductive potential than largemouth bass and are much more problematic as far as maintaining a healthy forage base available for all species in a given fishery, as there population can explode rather quickly. Therefore we have a 10 fish, no size limit in Socal to thin them out....so don't throw them back....especially the smaller ones. There are MANY others that will not be caught that will grow up. Largemouth bass regulations are usually set at 5 fish per person at a 12 inch minimum size. Variations of these regulations (say 15 inch/2 fish) are to protect a LMB fishery while still allowing for harvest. If you wish to harvest caught fish of legal size and quantity, do it, it is part of the process in achieving mgmt ocjectives. Too much C & R CAN also lead to an overall reduction in the size of fish caught. Stunting occurs where there are too many mouths & not enough food to go around, which in turn slows growth & leads to smaller fish. In this case, the harvest of smaller legal sized and releasing larger fish will help maintain the fishery for larger sized fish.

Quinn Granfors
DFG Diamond Valley Lake

[bman90278]

**WARNING! potential stupid question ahead...** :LOL:


I think this wasn't a stupid thread. You weren't sure about a very important fishing issue and you came to a responsible forum to get some good info.

brian

[jimnyo]

thank you all for your VERY helpful input. sorry it took me so long to reply, but haven't had a chance to check the forums for a week, let alone fish. :) a follow up question: so, we mostly go to laguna lake, so this thread answers all my questions regarding that situation. however, we live near the san gabriel river and have yet to try it. what i can find on this forum about the SGR is mostly about "wild trout". 1) how do you know if it's wild? 2) is it illegal to keep wild trout? basically, i fish b/c i like to eat fish--kind of the same reason why i garden...i like being able to enjoy the fruits of my labor, so to speak. i'm also trying to get my kids to see that everything doesn't just magically appear at the supermarket, that a lot of work and effort comes from getting food. so, if we ever catch anything that is big enough to eat (which we haven't, darn it!), we plan on keeping it and eating it for sure. but obviously, i want to follow the rules. which leads me to the last question, which is, where do i get a copy of this DFG handbook? oh, ok and one more 'last' question: i heard that DFG is no longer stocking fish, so does that mean when people say go ahead and eat any stocked fish, that at this point, we shouldn't be eating anything we catch?

[Swank909]

they have stopped stocking LA and OC lakes due to some issues with the budget. As far as stocked fish go I will eat recently stocked fish and release the bigger sized hold overs. As for trout in the SGR I don know too much, Ive heard that you have hike for miles before you can find fish. I also think that it is a californian golden heritage area ( I think that's what it's called) which only allows you to fish single barbless hooks and no soft baits. My info is most likely completely wrong so hopefully someone else can chime in and correct me.