If you’ve ever gone fishing with a child, you know the one that usually gets away is the kid. Patience runs out quickly when kids don’t get a bite or pull in a fish within an hour or two. That’s why Troutdale in Agoura is a fishing kid’s dream. The fishing park’s trout-stocked ponds are sure to yield at least one catch in an afternoon, giving (almost) instant gratification to kids learning to fish.
For an admission fee of $7, whether you are fishing or not, you get a bamboo pole strung with fishing line and a hook, a small cup of corn for bait and a bucket of water for your caught fish. You can rent real fishing poles for $5 and buy night crawler worms for stinky powerbait for $5, but you really don’t need to. The ponds’ pellet-fed rainbow trout will go for just about anything. You’ve heard t
he saying, “Shooting fish in a barrel.†Well, this isn’t much different.
Kids get excited to hook a fish and reel it in, but remember there is no catch and release allowed. All fish you pull from the water you must buy, priced by the inch, starting at $6 for a 10-inch fish. The staff will ice your fish for free, and for an extra $150 per fish they will clean them.
The park has picnic tables and log benches for seating around two concrete ponds. The grounds are decorated with wood carvings of animals, and the ponds feature two fountains, which evidently the fish like. Two tiki-hut style covered seating areas are available for rent for private parties.
The family owned business has been around for more than 40 years, so generations of families have enjoyed it as ch
ildren and now as parents.
Troutdale’s hours are Wednesday – Friday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm; Saturday – Sunday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. Troutdale is located at 2468 Troutdale Road. Agoura, California 91310. Free parking. Phone 818 889-9993, www.allyoucanfish.com
