A total of 15 Southern California lakes and ponds will be stocked with hatchery trout in the coming week, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The fish deliveries scheduled between November 1-7 are the first widespread trout plants in city and suburban parks and other public waters for the 2026-27 cool-weather fishing season. Before November, most trout trucked to Southern California waters for the past six months or more were sent to cooler waters such as mountain lakes and streams.
As is always the case with stocked trout, fishing will peak in the few days, so that’s why it’s important to make a plan now to hit the water closest to home not long after the fish arrive, if you can.
Purists often scoff at fishing for hatchery trout, but I can tell you that as a kid fishing at some of these waters, including Eisenhower Park, it’s a great way to get people hooked on the thrill of fishing. And for some city-dwellers, this might be their first chance of catching one of these cold-water sport fish.
You don’t have to make trout fishing complicated, especially for hatchery-reared fish. The simplest approach is just plunking with some bait and waiting for a bite. PowerBait is especially popular and easy to use, but the traditional worms, salmon eggs, marshmallows, or other baits will also put trout on your stringer.
Are you into casting more than sitting and waiting? Try throwing out a spinner or spoon and retrieving it to provoke aggressive trout to strike.
For the more advanced angler, fly fishing is also an option. Even trout raised eating pellets in concrete pens have the instinct to feed on insects, and artificial flies kick their natural predatory tendencies into gear.
If you want more information on how to improve your catch, I put together a simple guide to trout fishing.
Now it’s time to show you exactly which waters in your area are going to be stocked in the week ahead, according to CDFW’s stocking data.
I’m listing the locations by county, so you can more easily narrow down your options. In a few cases, the names of the locations are linked to more comprehensive guides to specific fishing spots on my Best Fishing in America website.
You’ll notice that the majority of waters stocked this week are in Los Angeles County, with a few others in the mix. But already CDFW has started fleshing out the schedule for the following week, especially in Orange County.
Based on previous years, I expect to see trout on the stocking calendar in San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, and neighboring counties in the coming few weeks.
Los Angeles County
Alondra Park Lake, Lawndale
Belvedere Lake, East Los Angeles
Cerritos Lake (Don Knabe Community Regional Park), Cerritos
Downey Wilderness Park Lake, Downey
Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles
El Dorado Park Lakes, Long Beach
Hansen Dam Lake, Lake View Terrace
Hollenbeck Park Lake, Los Angeles
Kenneth Hahn Park Lake, Los Angeles
La Mirada Lake, La Mirada
Lincoln Park Lake, Los Angeles
Santa Fe Reservoir, Irwindale/Baldwin Park
See also: Best Fishing in Los Angeles County
Orange County
Eisenhower Park Lake, Orange
Laguna Lake, Fullerton
See also: Best Fishing in Orange County
Ventura County
Rancho Simi Park Lake, Simi Valley
See also: Best Fishing in Ventura County
Upcoming Stocking Locations
CDFW also has listed a few waters so far for the week beginning November 8. At last check those included Carr Park Lake, Centennial Park Lake, and Huntington Park Lake, all in Orange County, and Legg Lakes in Los Angeles County.
Source: CDFW Fish Planting Schedule