Bernard Lopez lands 24.09-pound record at SARL

[spectr17]

Bernard Lopez lands 24.09-pound record at SARL .

Bernard Lopez of Paramount landed a new state record rainbow trout at Santa Ana River Lakes Tuesday. The 24.09-pound trout was caught on rainbow Crave Bait from Chris Pond, and surpasses the previous lake record and unofficial state record of 23.76-pounds caught a little over a year ago.

"I fish here three times a week," said the lake regular with a smile. "It really paid off this time." Lopez was fishing with a three-pound test leader when he hooked the fish, and he swears he had a bigger fish on earlier the same day. That news wouldn't surprise Doug Elliott, operator of SARL.

"We think three trout that size were planted in the lakes this week, so he very well may have had a bigger fish on,' said Elliott.

 

[Socal hunter]

O boy I mealy tasting "trout".  This is not going to taste good.  So a 2 year old trout now the new record.  If this was a real wild trout it would be very difficult to land it especially from shore.  Hybrid or geneticcly engenered fish should not make record books

 

[sportyg]

Great fish, however I must agree with Socal.Hunter, stock fish should not be concidered record fish..

 

[Bishop]

I can see them (SARL)giving off season tours of the "lake" where the California state record trout came from.  Then they can explain how they fill the dry hole with water when the season begins, buy some 24 pound mutant trout from a hatchery, and anyone fishing from the tailgate of their truck can catch the next state record trout. Next project, raising a mutant, trout chow fed, world record for next season.  


(Edited by Bishop at 7:38 am on Feb. 21, 2002)

 

[Hogskin]

I agree with you guys.  A REAL record trout is not going to slam a doughball bait and it ain't gonna exist in a mudhole like SARL.  It's a big fish, but I'd be embarassed to take credit for a "record" like that.  If I grow a big one in my swimming pool and pull it out with my fly rod, is it a record?

Regards,
Paul

 

[sportyg]

Hogskin,
By this standard I'd sya yes.. let me know when you grow him I want to fish for him>>LOL

(Edited by sportyg at 3:04 pm on Feb. 20, 2002)

 

[EL CAZADOR]

What a joke!!!

Have you seen this place?  It’s not a lake, it’s a hole in the ground filled with water.  Nice and scenic too!  Right next to the freeway in an industrial part of town.

I can’t believe this, “We think three trout that size were planted in the lakes this week”.  Planting fish at 24+ lbs.

But then again SARL is typical of most things here in SoCal. FAKE!!  It’s not real fishing, heck – they aren’t even real fish, are they?

Definitely should not be considered for a state record!!!

 

[spectr17]

NEW STATE RECORD RAINBOW -- Jim Matthews column 20feb02


State record 24.09-pound rainbow caught at Santa Ana River Lakes.

    ANAHEIM -- A 24.09-pound rainbow trout was caught Tuesday this week at Santa Ana River Lakes. The fish, if accepted by the Department of Fish and Game, would break the current state record of 23-pound even by over a pound.

    Bernard Lopez, a 48-year-old machine shop plant manager with nine kids who lives in Paramount, battled the huge trout on three-pound test line for nearly 30 minutes before landing the brute. While he's happy with this fish, Lopez will tell you that the big one got away, and it's not likely a fish story.

    "I hooked one earlier in the day that busted my line," said Lopez. "Oh ya, it was way bigger [than the 24-pounder]. The big fish took me all the way across to the other side of the lake. When he stopped, I started bringing him back. I cranked three times, and he jerked his head and `pop' he was gone."

    It was one of three nice trout Lopez caught from Chris' Pond at Santa Ana River Lakes on Tuesday. The other fish weighed 18 1/2, 13 1/5, and about five pounds.

    Lopez was taking part in a special fishing event, a reintroduction of Crave Bait, at Santa Ana River Lakes. There were bonus plants of monster rainbows for this event, and Lopez used the new bait to catch all of his trophy trout.

    Crave, a floating dough bait, was announced with massive fanfare last fall, but anglers found the new product dried out easily and didn't stay on the hook. The problem was the jars didn't seal. Anglers also thought the bait could float better. Crave recalled all of the product, modified the flotation formula, and ordered new jars with lids that sealed, according to Phil Mackey, the inventor of Crave.

    "It cost us a heck of a lot to do that, but bottom line, you've gotta do the right thing," said Mackey.

    "Crave at first stunk," said Lopez. "It didn't stay on the hook, dried up on you and was powdery. This new batch is a big improvement. It's really good," said Lopez.

    According to Doug Elliott, who runs the concession at Santa Ana River Lakes with his partner Bill Andrews, there are at least two other trout in Chris' Pond that are about the same size at Lopez' record fish. Maybe bigger. Maybe quite a bit bigger.

    "The hatchery people told us there were three of those huge fish in this last batch," said Elliott. There were three other trout in the 20-pound class caught Tuesday and Wednesday, but those weren't included in the "huge" fish category. Elliott meant 24-pound or better fish.

    Mackey, who is also the owner of Mt. Lassen Trout Farms where the super-sized trout planted in Santa Ana River Lakes are grown, said they were not having any problems with their trout. They keep getting bigger each year.

    "Last year we had one at 30 pounds in our ponds that died. We don't know how big they can get. Yet."

    With that in mind, Lopez knew that it is just a matter of time before a bigger trout is caught. "The record might last a week," he said. "I hope it lasts a week. Let me enjoy this little moment here."

    Lopez also knows that the record might hold up longer that, even if there are bigger fish currently in the lake. "You still have to have the skills to land a fish that big. It's not that easy," he said.

 

[feelinducky]

What a fisherman!  Lets see him catch a 2 pounder in the wild.  

 

[EL CAZADOR]

Nine kids!!!!

That trout will feed the family for a week!

 

[spectr17]

Will trout become catch of controversy?

February 21, 2002

By DAVE STREGE, The Orange County Register

ANAHEIM -- Bernard Lopez eyeballed the rainbow trout he caught and figured it went 20 pounds, never imagining it could be a state record.

David Burrows, the man who netted the fish, thought otherwise. His arms, straining to lift the net, told him this was a special fish.

Weigh it now so it doesn't lose any weight, Burrows of Placentia urged. Lopez wasn't so sure.

"(Then) he gave me the net," the Paramount angler said. "I said, 'Oh man, we've got to go weigh it.' I didn't know it would weigh this much."

What it weighed on the scale at Santa Ana River Lakes was 23.9 pounds, making it a candidate for breaking the state record of 23 pounds.

The fish was rushed to a nearby Albertson's and weighed on its certified scale. That one produced the official weight: 24.09 pounds.

Suddenly, Lopez was thrust into the limelight, and Santa Ana River Lakes was celebrating a potential record fish.

"Did I tell you we were going to put in big fish?" co-concessionaire Doug Elliott said. "That's one thing we've got is credibility."

No question SARL produces big trout. The question is, will the Department of Fish and Game recognize the fish as a record?

Lopez filled out the paperwork required by the DFG, and a DFG representative verified the fish as a rainbow Wednesday.

Lopez even purchased a one-day fishing license, though SARL doesn't require one. However, it is required for state record purposes.

While Lopez appeared excited about the potential record, he took a cautious approach.

"I just don't want to get bad publicity like the other person did," said Lopez, a regular at SARL. "To me, it really doesn't matter."

Last year, an angler withdrew his application for a state record on a 23.76-pound rainbow after a witness claimed he netted the fish. This occurred amid controversy over whether a fish grown to record size and caught in a pay lake should count as a state record. Opinions varied.

"You still have to catch them, and it's not easy if they don't know what they're doing," Lopez said. "To me, a fish is a fish. It doesn't matter where you go fishing. It doesn't matter if they stocked it or not."

Steve Taylor, who was in charge of inland fishing records for the DFG, has retired.

It was Taylor who said he thought the Fisheries Management committee "would end up not approving a traditional record" on such a fish.

Who knows what the DFG will decide?

SARL holds the state record for channel catfish, a 52-pound, 10-ounce fish caught in 1993.

SARL regularly stocked blue catfish that big. But the lake manager at the time said that fish hadn't been stocked, and he presumed that it came from Prado Dam via the Santa Ana River during a high-water period.

Amid the uncertainty, one thing is clear: Lopez did not snag or net the fish. Several witnesses saw him catch it.

Earlier in the day, using rainbow Crave Bait, Lopez caught an 18.5-pound rainbow and his son Michael, 11, landed a 13.5-pounder.

And Lopez lost a fish that he felt certain was bigger than the 24.09.

Overshadowed by Lopez's fish was the lake-record stringer caught by Jim Anderson of La Puente.

His rainbows weighed 21.10, 17.7, 16.5, 14.9 and 10.0 pounds and were taken on chartreuse Crave Bait.

"I've caught smaller tuna," quipped Bruce Levine of Huntington Beach.

The trophy trout were caught Tuesday during a private Crave Bait event at Chris' Pond. It was a re-introduction of the bait that flopped in its debut because of faulty lids and dried bait.

The problems appear to have been solved with the new bait.

Time will tell if Crave becomes a winner ... and whether Lopez's fish becomes a state record.

 

[Maverick]

WTF?
  This is no state record!!! A fish that is planted in the lake a week before is not a record of any type. If they were planted in the lake as finger lings then it would be a record. If I lived on a farm and in my barn was a 600lb 20x20 Mulie .When I though it was time shot it would this be a record? I think it would be a freak of nature but not a record. :flush:

 

[EL CAZADOR]

Another was caught just 4 days later.  This once tipped the scales at 26lbs plus.

A 26lb trout?!?!?!?!?!

 

[m57jager]

Are you kidding me!!!!  No fish in that mud hole should be considered a record, ecspecially when they are planted at record size.  To top it off, he bought a fishing license after the fact.  After telling the pathetic no money sympathy story, you can't tell me he buys a one day license three times a week along with entry fees to fish a lake that doesn't require one.  Don't give us that bull about he doesn't have the money to go to Alaska or anywhere else.  If he does however pay for a one day and entry fee each time, maybe if he saved that money, he could. Is he trying to feed his family or go after records.  We don't all have money buddy.  I'm poor as a joke, but I still believe that you don't bring down the standards because some of us are less fortunate.  This is a disgrace to the other record holders, and he should be ashamed, I would be.  This is a joke!!!!SARL is o.k. to fish for some.  In the case of records, it's just another case of the times.  Nobody wants to spend the time and work it takes to get a real fish.  If you want to catch a big fish, go to SARL.  If you want a real record book fish, GO EARN IT!!!!