04-18-2008, 06:22 PM
[cool]Nebraska rainbow trout slow to show in debut
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DAVE STREGE
Register columnist
OUTDOORS
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LAGUNA NIGUEL A new brand of trout hit the waters of Laguna Niguel Lake on Thursday but was slow to hit baits offered by fishermen.
At least that was the story Friday morning as anglers descended upon the lake as if it were the trout opener.
They heard 10,000 pounds of trout were being stocked because the lake abruptly cancelled the plant of Utah trout the week before.
"I thought they double stocked yesterday, so we thought we'd catch something," said Kevin Miyagishima of Cypress.
"Are you sure it's 10,000 pounds?" said Duke Bui of Lakewood. After a morning of catching only one trout, he suggested a zero had been accidentally added.
As it turned out, only about 5,000 pounds were stocked, and they just started to hit consistently Monday, said lake manager Nestor Valenzuela.
"I guess they just had to get acclimated," he said.
Perhaps it was a case of truck-lag. They did come from Nebraka, after all.
According to the Department of Fish and Game, Pine Creek Trout Ranch, the producers of the Utah-raised rainbows, had its importation permits revoked after its fish tested positive for whirling disease.
The fish first tested positive in 2006 and took 0a 1 1/2-year hiatus from Laguna Niguel Lake until testing clean again. Plants resumed this season.
Alpers Trout replaced the Utah fish last season and supplemented the Utah stockings this season. But when Pine Creek was prohibited from bringing trout into the state, Tim Alpers said he didn't have the extra fish to fill the void.
So he strongly recommended Chalk Mound Trout Ranch in western Nebraska.
Surprisingly, Chalk Mound is no stranger to Southern California. The hatchery supplied Whitewater Trout Co. for two years before it closed in 2006.
Chalk Mound currently supplies trout for Lake Mission Viejo, a private lake, and Poway and Miramar lakes in San Diego County.
The anglers at Poway were abuzz about the Nebraska rainbows, calling them Tailwalkers because of their vigorous fight.
Chalk Mound owner Ron Bright liked the nickname and put it on the back of his state-of-the-art fish transportation truck, which Alpers called the "James Bond of fish trucks."
The 48-foot flatbed with six tanks has a capacity of 10,000 pounds of fish. It has chillers that keep the water around 52 degrees.
Bright conceded the sluggish start might have been because of the warmer waters of Laguna Niguel Lake. Valenzuela said the lake temperature is around 61 degrees.
The long-distance travel apparently wasn't a factor. It takes 22 to 24 hours to haul the fish 1,200 miles. Bright said he's had trout in the tanks for 50 hours without any problem.
Bright sought out the Southern California market as a means to produce winter sales. He buys trout eggs from Trout Lodge in Washington and raises the fish in well water.
"Hopefully we can continue getting customers in Southern California and continue delivering a good product," Bright said.
Whether Laguna Niguel Lake stocks the Nebraska Tailwalkers again this season remains uncertain. Probably not if water temperatures continue to rise.
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DAVE STREGE
Register columnist
OUTDOORS
[url "mailto:dstrege@ocregister.com"]dstrege@ocregister.com [/url]
[url "http://www.ocregister.com/articles/trout-lake-fish-2009063-niguel-bright#slComments"]Comments [/url]| [url "javascript:recommendReview('OCRArticle2009063')"]Recommend [/url]
LAGUNA NIGUEL A new brand of trout hit the waters of Laguna Niguel Lake on Thursday but was slow to hit baits offered by fishermen.
At least that was the story Friday morning as anglers descended upon the lake as if it were the trout opener.
They heard 10,000 pounds of trout were being stocked because the lake abruptly cancelled the plant of Utah trout the week before.
"I thought they double stocked yesterday, so we thought we'd catch something," said Kevin Miyagishima of Cypress.
"Are you sure it's 10,000 pounds?" said Duke Bui of Lakewood. After a morning of catching only one trout, he suggested a zero had been accidentally added.
As it turned out, only about 5,000 pounds were stocked, and they just started to hit consistently Monday, said lake manager Nestor Valenzuela.
"I guess they just had to get acclimated," he said.
Perhaps it was a case of truck-lag. They did come from Nebraka, after all.
According to the Department of Fish and Game, Pine Creek Trout Ranch, the producers of the Utah-raised rainbows, had its importation permits revoked after its fish tested positive for whirling disease.
The fish first tested positive in 2006 and took 0a 1 1/2-year hiatus from Laguna Niguel Lake until testing clean again. Plants resumed this season.
Alpers Trout replaced the Utah fish last season and supplemented the Utah stockings this season. But when Pine Creek was prohibited from bringing trout into the state, Tim Alpers said he didn't have the extra fish to fill the void.
So he strongly recommended Chalk Mound Trout Ranch in western Nebraska.
Surprisingly, Chalk Mound is no stranger to Southern California. The hatchery supplied Whitewater Trout Co. for two years before it closed in 2006.
Chalk Mound currently supplies trout for Lake Mission Viejo, a private lake, and Poway and Miramar lakes in San Diego County.
The anglers at Poway were abuzz about the Nebraska rainbows, calling them Tailwalkers because of their vigorous fight.
Chalk Mound owner Ron Bright liked the nickname and put it on the back of his state-of-the-art fish transportation truck, which Alpers called the "James Bond of fish trucks."
The 48-foot flatbed with six tanks has a capacity of 10,000 pounds of fish. It has chillers that keep the water around 52 degrees.
Bright conceded the sluggish start might have been because of the warmer waters of Laguna Niguel Lake. Valenzuela said the lake temperature is around 61 degrees.
The long-distance travel apparently wasn't a factor. It takes 22 to 24 hours to haul the fish 1,200 miles. Bright said he's had trout in the tanks for 50 hours without any problem.
Bright sought out the Southern California market as a means to produce winter sales. He buys trout eggs from Trout Lodge in Washington and raises the fish in well water.
"Hopefully we can continue getting customers in Southern California and continue delivering a good product," Bright said.
Whether Laguna Niguel Lake stocks the Nebraska Tailwalkers again this season remains uncertain. Probably not if water temperatures continue to rise.
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