THE QUEST FOR GIGANTIC BROOD TROUT; LONELY DIAZ, HAIWEE STOCKED FOR FUN.

Byline: Brett Pauly Daily News Outdoors Editor

They are the hardest workers in the fish hatchery, called on to perform critical chores for little more than room and board and a slap on the back.

They are the invaluable brood fish spawned to ensure generations of trout will be planted for the enjoyment of Eastern Sierra anglers.

But the greatest reward - for brooder and angler alike - is earned after the final genetic contributions have been made: freedom.

Tagged with metal clips on their gill plates so anglers can identify them as part of the Department of Fish and Game's trophy trout program, thousands of brood males and females are released in regional waters each year. Typically 3 to 5 pounds or more, they dwarf the standard half-pound trout that are planted at catchable sizes. These are, quite literally, the mothers of all stockers.

Little publicized, the release of behemoth brood trout may come as a surprise to many anglers, especially when they discover the locations of two of the stocking sites - Diaz Lake and Haiwee Reservoir, which can be fished year-round, unlike most Eastern Sierra fishing holes. Largely underutilized and underappreciated fisheries found south of Lone Pine, they are viewed as little more than tiny oases rising up past the Mojave Desert as Southern California anglers travel Highway 395 to more revered waters.

``Funny,'' said Diaz Lake regular Orville ``O.J.'' Bain of Olancha, ``everybody thinks of trout fishing in Mammoth and Crowley Lake. A lot of people don't pay any attention. (Diaz) looks like a muddy puddle, but, yeah, it's a pretty good fishing lake.''

Indeed, at a mere 100 surface acres, it would take 50 Diaz-size lakes to cover Crowley's 5,280 surface acres.

And, indeed, there are pretty good fish in Diaz. The lake record is a 14-pound rainbow caught Jan. 16, 1995, by Ridgecrest's Michelle Oettli.

Bain's wife, Germaine, caught an 8-pound rainbow last year that taped out at 25 inches. She isn't bothered in the least by the lake's lack of advertising; it just means more elbowroom for her. ``I like the fresh air, the view, nobody bothering me,'' the former Van Nuys resident said lakeside on Friday.

Largemouth bass run to 8 pounds, catfish to more than 20 pounds, and there are plenty of bluegill, too. But it is the brood rainbow and brown trout that get the most attention.

``Someone today will catch a fish that will go over 5 pounds; that happens almost daily,'' said Diaz Lake park ranger Steve Rinker, whose post sits within view of four Eastern Sierra peaks topping 14,000 feet - from the south, Langley, Muir, Whitney and Russell.

Farther south is seldom-targeted Haiwee Reservoir (pronounced HAY-wee), where smallmouth and largemouth bass dine on steady diets of crawdad and rainbow and brown brooders occasionally are stocked.

While Diaz Lake, situated 100 or so yards west of 395, is perhaps the most accessible roadside lake in the Eastern Sierra, Haiwee is anything but. Anglers can put in miles of footwork to properly work the reservoir.

Less than 500 brood trout go into Diaz and Haiwee each year from the Mount Whitney and Black Rock state fish hatcheries north of Independence. The number pales in comparison to the 12,500 brooders that are trucked out of Mammoth Lake's Hot Creek hatchery to Tioga, Saddleback, Ellery and Convict lakes, as well as the Mammoth Lakes, those waters found in the June Lakes Loop and the Upper Owens River between Benton Crossing and Crowley Lake.

But it's the notion of hooking into one of a handful of ``super-trophy trout'' - specimens ranging up to 15 pounds or more that escape the Black Rock hatchery via drainage canals but are later caught by hook and line for release - that draw some anglers to Diaz and Haiwee.

If the estimated 12-1/2-pound leviathan that Black Rock fish and wildlife assistant James Booth caught last month for the brood-release program, Diaz anglers can be in for quite a fight.

``I caught it on 6-pound test,'' Booth said. ``It took me about 20 minutes to get it in, and it wouldn't fit in one of our big nets. It was pretty close to 32 inches long.''

The crew that tagged the brute called it Walter.

Of course, if you don't meet Walter at Diaz Lake, you can always see his brooder brethren . . . at the hatcheries - Mount Whitney and Black Rock, [phone], and Hot Creek, [phone].

Sherman Oaks free-lancer Rob Wheat contributed to this story.

IF YOU'RE GOING . . .

Brood stock - trout that's kept to spawn and grow to trophy sizes at hatcheries - are released periodically throughout the Eastern Sierra. Two of the lesser-known planting sites are Diaz Lake and Haiwee Reservoir, which, unlike the bulk of the region, can be fished year-round.

There are several roads that access Los Angeles Aqueduct-fed Haiwee Reservoir off Highway 395, the southernmost of which, South Haiwee Road, is located 6-1/2 miles north of Coso Junction and 24-1/4 miles north of Pearsonville. (Pearsonville is about 145 miles north of the San Fernando Valley.) North Haiwee Road is 4 miles south of Olancha and 22 miles south of Lone Pine.

Because it is a domestic water supply earnestly protected from pollution, boating other than float-tubing, swimming and any direct body contact with the water is prohibited. Sealed waders are required for float-tubing and wade-fishing. No overnight camping, campfires or fish cleaning are permitted on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power property.

It's not exactly easy to fish Haiwee, especially when one reads posted signs like this: ``Danger mountain lions have been observed. Proceed at your own risk.''

If you think that's bad, it's an awful long way to walk or bike - no direct vehicle access is available - from the parking areas to Haiwee, which is actually two reservoirs that measure 3-1/2 miles long and a half-mile wide between them. The waters opened to the public in 1994. At least parking is free.

Information: Owens Valley Warm Water Fishing Association, [phone].

A geologic oddity, Diaz Lake, always a wetland, was formed as a result of a major earthquake that hit the Owens Valley on March 26, 1872, according to a historic marker there. The ground below the lake dropped 16 to 20 feet and a new spring formed, causing water to fill the lowland.

Named for the Diaz family that established a ranch here when Chilean brothers Rafael and Eleuterio Diaz immigrated in the 1860s, it was owned and operated as a successful cattle ranch until the land was sold to the Los Angeles DWP, which now leases the lake to Inyo County.

Turn left into Diaz Lake Recreational Area from the 395, 2-1/2 miles south of Lone Pine - or about 195 miles north of the Valley. The lake is a mile long and a half-mile wide.

Overnight camping is $7. The boating fee is $6. Day-use parking is free.

Information: [phone].

Five trout may be kept at Diaz and Haiwee, both of which are at an elevation of about 3,750; 10 trout can be in possession.

- Brett Pauly

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

PHOTO Canyon County's Bob Piroumian is among the few and proud who target underappreciated Diaz Lake and the brood trout released there.

Brett Pauly/Daily News

BOX: IF YOU'RE GOING . . . (see text)