The Pacific Rod & Gun Club has joined together with a number of other organizations to support the reestablishment of fishing in Lake Merced. The organization born from this desire is the “Lake Merced Youth Fishing Program”. Anyone who is interested in helping (you need not be a member of any of these organizations) can contact the Rod & Gun Club or the Lake Merced Youth Fishing Program at its website.
Members of the Rod & Gun Club, the San Francisco Tyee Club, and many individuals have been working hard toward this end. California Trout donated 92 rods and spinning reels to the effort. California Trout also donated a large containment net which can be placed in the water where trout are released by the California Department of Fish and Game. This will help to insure the possibility that the children will be able to actually catch a fish! If you have ever caught a fish–even a little one–you know how exciting it can be.
The North Lake has been restocked on a regular basis for some time. Beginning in August of 2009, the South Lake has been stocked with trout by the California Department of Fish and Game. Both the Lake Merced Youth Fishing Program website and the Rod & Gun Club website provide information on when the lakes are scheduled for stocking. (The DFG does not provide the exact date that the stocking will occur.)
Other groups which have an interest in helping with this program besides the Tyee Club and the Pacific Rod & Gun Club are the Golden West Women Flyfishers, the Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club, and the San Francisco Police Athletic League (PAL). Any other groups interested in supporting this program are most certainly welcome.