Raising Catfish in the Desert

Overview

Built in 1939, 650-acre Irvine Lake, located in the Saddleback Mountains, is home to some of the best fishing to be found in Southern California, due in no small part to the lakes extensive stocking practices of about 400,000 pounds of fish annually. Get a glimpse of how these fish are raised, first at a catfish hatchery in the desert, then a trout hatchery at the California/ Oregon border.