You can fish in downtown Sacramento. The lake in Southside Park has been stocked with fish for the past year by The California Department of Fish and Game.

I spoke with a Joe Ferrier at The Department of Fish and Game about the history of the program. Ferrier said that the program to stock urban lakes started fifteen years ago when Fish and Game got a grant from the federal government under the Sport Fish Restoration Act.

About five years ago a sewage spill contaminated the lake and Fish and Game stopped stocking the lake until about one year ago. Ferrier said that at that point the lake water was no longer contaminated and likely cleaner than ever.

Due to budget constraints Southside Park lake is stocked only twice a year with Trout in the winter and Catfish in the Summer.

The Southside Park lake is actually a great habitat for fish. Even without the stocked fish Ferrier suggests there may be other fish living in the lake. Species include Blue Gill, Carpie, Carp, and Catfish. Ferrier said, "That [lake] gets . . . fish that breed out there all the time. Even though there was a fish die-off during the spill, it is a pretty productive lake."

Private vendors submit bids to stock Sacramento's urban lakes. The fish planted in this program do not come from The California Department of Fish and Game fisheries.

In order to get updates about which urban lakes will be stocked soon call this prerecorded line: (916) 358 2872.