OC Parks drops channel catfish at three lakes this week

Southern California bank anglers still have a late-summer catfish window. Orange County Parks’ published 2026 catfish stocking schedule puts Laguna Niguel Regional Park, Mile Square Regional Park, and Tri-City Regional Park on the truck for the week of Sept. 7–11, 2026 (exact plant days can slide; the calendar is week-of).

Anglers 16 and older need a California sport fishing license at those parks (Irvine Lake is the schedule’s noted exception elsewhere). OC Parks says the dates are subject to change and will be updated on the stocking page as crews confirm loads.

That plant sits in the last big push of the warm-water season — the next listed OC catfish week is Oct. 12–16 at Carbon Canyon, Clark, Tri-City, and Yorba. Trout season on those parks is estimated to start around late November.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Channel catfish (public domain / freely licensed image used on The Gillnet).

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: OC Parks, 2026 Catfish Stocking Schedule (updated schedule; week of Sept. 7–11, 2026).