Jim Matthews
Outdoor Editor
8/13/12

Limits of nice catfish are
common at Anaheim Lake

The catfish action has been very good for anglers at Anaheim Lake over the past week with a lot of limits posted on catfish averaging 1 ½ to three pounds.
The best bite has continued to be on shrimp, mackerel, or the marshmallow-meal (M&M) worm combos, and dousing them with Gravy or Love Sauce has improved strike ratios, and the fish remain concentrated in deeper water, avoiding the hordes of cormorants at the lake. Good spots have been the bubble hole and the hump directly between Catfish Island and Honker Island, and along the whole west side of the lake. Shore fishermen capable of making long rods capable of getting way out in deeper water are also having good success.
The top fish reported this past week was a 6-pound, four-ounce catfish caught as part of a 10-fish double limit posted by Kevin Ahn and Kevin Phan, both Placentia, while fishing with Hebrew National hot dogs from kayaks off Honker Island. Their total stringer weighed in at 26 pounds.
Robert Davis and Jocko Smith, both San Pedro, also posted double limits, and their 10 catfish weighed 17 1/2 pounds, and they were fishing both mackerel and the nightcrawler-marshmallow combo at the Pump House. Billy Holt, Anaheim, had a 15-fish, 24-hour permit limit that weighed in right at 30 pounds fishing from a boat off the northeast shoreline with shrimp.
A 12 3/4-pound, five-fish stringer was posted by Annette Ahumada, Bellflower on shrimp with shrimp Gravy, and a 12-pound, five-fish catch was reported by Daniel Chavez, Artesia, on the M&M combo.
The tilapia action has been fair to good. The best bite on these panfish has been in shady areas of shallow water with nightcrawler pieces fished under a bobber. The tilapia are averaging a pound to 1 1/2 pounds.
The popular weekend Catfish Derbies continue to be held each Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Entry fee is $5 for any of the five permit time frames — from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, from 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday evening, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, and from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday evening. (There are no derbies for the mid-day special at noon or the 24-hour fishing pass holders.) All of the derbies feature a 100 percent payout of the whole pot to the angler catching the biggest catfish. If 10 anglers enter at $5 each, the biggest catfish caught among those 10 anglers wins that angler the whole $50 pot.
Anaheim Lake continues to receive twice-weekly plants of catfish and tilapia on Tuesday and Thursday through the rest of the summer fishing season.
Private boats, kayaks, and float tubes are allowed at Anaheim Lake, but they will be inspected for traces of water or evidence of quagga mussel contamination before being allowed on the water.
Anaheim Lake will be open seven days a week with fishing allowed from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on day passes or from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on an evening pass. Each of these passes is $25. Seniors pay only $23, with a $20 special on Wednesdays. All of these passes have a five-fish limit. For kids 4 to 13, a three-fish pass is just $12. There are 24-hour passes offered every Friday and Saturday night. The 24-hour passes cost $75 and have a 15 fish limit. An angler can bring his wife and up to three kids 17 and under and all can help fill the 15-fish limit on one of these passes, and camping is free at Corona with a 24-hour pass. For Anaheim Lake fishing information, call 714-996-3508 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.

Catfish action at Corona Lake
has been as hot as the weather

Air temperatures topping 105 degrees have been common in the Inland Empire over the past week, but the heat hasn’t slowed the catfish bite at Corona Lake one bit — in fact, it might just be making the bite better.
Limits have been common for early morning, evening, and night fishermen, but the mid-day action has been little sampled because of the heat. The fish might be biting, but the anglers aren’t putting in much effort then.
The best action has been on shrimp, mackerel, the marshmallow-meal worm (M&M) combo, and nightcrawlers. Many anglers are also adding Eagle Claw Gravy or Lip Ripperz Love Sauce scents, or similar scents and dip baits, to their other bait. Hot spots have been the deeper water off the dam, J.D.’s Point and the back end for boat anglers.
Alex Cruz, Rancho Cucamonga, had 10 catfish for a total stringer of 26 pounds, including a nice five-pounder, fishing J.D.’s mackerel off J.D.’s Point on a 24-hour permit. Dave Berry, Lakeland Village, landed 11 cats for 34 1/2 pounds, also with a five-pounder as his top fish. Tony Harmon, Riverside, had a 4 1/2-pound cat on mackerel, while Nick Herron and Josh Stark, both Murrieta, landed seven catfish for 20 pounds on chicken liver fish along the weed line off J.D.’s Point.
Catfish and tilapia plants go in at least twice a week, including both blue and channel catfish.
There have been a few bass, bluegill, and crappie caught this past week by anglers targeting the lake’s resident population of fish. Ron Vergara, Cypress, was tossing a crankbait when he hooked and landed an 8 3/4-pound bass in the north end fishing just six-pound test.
Corona Lake is have five “Biggest Catfish” derbies every weekend. Entry fee is $5 for any of the five permit time frames — from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, from 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday evening, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, and from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday evening. (There will be no derbies for the mid-day special at noon or the 24-hour fishing pass holders.) All of the derbies feature a 100 percent payout of the whole pot to the angler catching the biggest catfish. If 20 anglers enter at $5 each, the biggest catfish caught among those 20 anglers wins that angler the whole $100 pot.
Private boats, kayaks, and float tubes are allowed at Corona Lake, but they will be inspected for traces of water or evidence of quagga mussel contamination before being allowed on the water.
There is road construction ongoing through the end of September at the Interstate 15 Indian Truck Trail off-ramp that leads to Corona Lake. This offramp is closed, but the lake is open during this construction. To detour around the construction, you need to exit from different off-ramps. If you are coming from the south on I-15, from the Elsinore or Murrieta area, exit on Lake Street and follow Temescal Canyon Road north to the lake entrance. If you are coming from the north, from the Corona or Riverside areas, exit the freeway at Temescal Canyon Road and follow the road south to the Lake entrance.
Corona Lake is open seven days a week with fishing allowed from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on day passes or from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on an evening pass. Each of these passes is $25. Seniors pay only $23, with a $20 special on Wednesdays. All of these passes have a five-fish limit. For kids 4 to 13, a three-fish pass is just $12. There are 24-hour passes offered every Friday and Saturday night. The 24-hour passes cost $75 and have a 15 fish limit. An angler can bring his wife and up to three kids 17 and under and all can help fill the 15-fish limit on one of these passes, and camping is free at Corona with a 24-hour pass. For Corona Lake fishing information, call 951-277-4489 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.