Hello Yosemite,
Below are a couple of links that might help you out with stocking.
This publication
"Inland Fisheries - Information Leaflet No. 6" will give you guidance as to whether or not you need a stocking permit. The regulations in this state can be described as humungous, onerous, egregious, cantankerous, disharmonious, horrendous and about a dozen other words that end in ous.
The easiest method (IMHO) to determine what you need to stock fish is to contact a "Registered Aquaculturist." If you go to this web page
California Department of Fish and Game and click on the link at the very top of the page (labeled "Registered Aquaculturists" you will have a list of the folks that can help. Find the closest one to you and call them. They will know what you need to stock your pond.
Fortunately this past December we dodged a major bullet in California when a Commission rejected a proposal from the California Department of Fish and Game that would have required pond owners to have "biological assessments" performed in order to receive a fish stocking permit. The average estimated cost of the assessment for a two acre pond would have been $144,386 (no I'm not kidding). Fortunately this has been rejected, this would have been catastrophic for pond owners.
As and also and besides my pond has been used for fire fighting as has DIED's (Dave in El Dorado).
