Ask Chris: Can You Fish in Echo Park Lake? If So, What’s in It, and Can You Keep What You Catch?

Yes, anglers with a license ($15 at Big 5 Sporting Goods) and a bucket o’ bait can catch and eat the many fish in L.A.’s municipal lakes. According to park rangers, Echo Park Lake teems with catfish, bluegill, and crayfish. State workers “plant” the lake with rainbow trout—half of which are devoured by large birds—every two weeks in winter, spring, and fall.