Jim Matthews
Outdoor Editor

Limit-style catfish
bite at Anaheim Lake
The catfish action has continued to be good to excellent at Anaheim Lake during morning, evening, and at night at Anaheim Lake with many anglers posting full, five-fish stringers of fish averaging from two to three pounds.
The best action remains in deep water where the fish retreat to avoid the cormorants during daylight hours, but they do move up at night and can be caught in much shallower water then. Shrimp and mackerel have been the best baits, but the marshmallow-meal worm (M&M) combo, nightcrawlers, or one of the prepared baits have also been good. Adding a prepared scent like Love Sauce, Bite On, or Gravy to the baits is improving the strike ratio.
Good spots continue to be the bubble hole and the hump directly between Catfish Island and Honker Island, most points, along the whole west side of the lake, and off Trout Island. Shore fishermen capable of making long rods capable of getting way out in deeper water are having just as good success as boat anglers.
One of the best catfish of the season at nine pounds was caught as part of a five-fish 20-pound stringer posted by Robert Cox of Huntington Beach while fishing with mackerel and Hog Wild in 70 to 80 feet of water off Catfish Island. Eddie and Robert Rodriguez, both Whittier, each had nearly identical five catfish stringers about 12 pounds total each on mackerel off Honker Island from float tubes. Tyler Tonne, Irvine, also had a three pound cat off the point on mackerel.
The 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 and will 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.

Wide open action on catfish
and crappie at Corona Lake
Corona Lake’s catfish bite just won’t slow down. While the mid-day action has been tough, there has continued to be a good to excellent bite on the cats morning, evening, and at night over the past week. And with a full moon this Saturday evening, that action is just expected to get better.
While still getting relatively little fishing pressure, the crappie bite is also still very good with most of the fish in deeper water around structure on small jigs, with or without a little bait, bounced off the bottom. Most of the crappie are in the half-pound range, but quite a few are topping a pound and running up to two pounds.
For the catfish, nightcrawlers, shrimp, mackerel, and the marshmallow-meal worm (M&M) combo with Eagle Claw Gravy or Lip Ripperz Love Sauce scents continue to be the best baits. Hot spots have been the deeper water off the dam and the back end for boat anglers. Shore fishing has been best off J.D.’s Point, the dock shoreline, and the dam area.
Top catfish reported was an 8 3/4-pounder caught by Dave Berry, Lakeland Village, as part of a five-fish, 25-pound stringer landed on mackerel and nightcrawlers while fishing from a boat. Josh Stark, Murrieta, landed five catfish for 19 pounds total, and his best fish was a 5 1/2-pounder, all on chicken liver. Jeff Chadkowski, Pomona, caught at 13 1/4-pound stringer topped off by a four pounder on shrimp with Love sauce fishing from a float tube mid-lake during on a mid-day special permit. Mike Hurst, Elsinore, had five catfish topped by a 3 1/2-pounder and his stringer weighed in at 15 1/4 pounds, all on shrimp from a boat. Robert Santos, Murrieta, landed 11 catfish for 15 3/4-pounds using nightcrawlers and mackerel and his top fish was a three-pounder.
The tilapia action is also pretty good in the shallow, shady areas on nightcrawler pieces, and there continue to be a few bass caught by anglers targeting the lake’s resident population of fish.
Catfish and tilapia plants go in at least twice a week, including both blue and channel catfish.
Corona Lake is still having its 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 will be 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 atwww.fishinglakes.com.

Santa Ana River Lakes’ Kid’s
Pond to remain open all summer
The main fishing areas at Santa Ana River Lakes are closed, but the Kid’s Pond (Huckleberry Pond) is open all summer Wednesday through Sunday. The main fishing operation has moved just a few blocks away to Anaheim Lake.
Santa Ana River Lakes is undergoing maintenance through the rest summer and not reopen until trout season early this fall.