Randy Muirhead of Glen Ivy broke his own lake record for largemouth bass at Corona Lake by catching an 18 1/4-pounder this past Thursday evening while fishing a crawdad-colored crankbait from his pontoon float tube. The fish breaks the lake record of 17-pounds, 10-ounces that Muirhead caught a month ago.
"I can't believe the big fish that are biting out there right now," said Muirhead, who also landed bass at 12, 11, and 10 pounds on Saturday. "I've never caught so many big bass in my life. That lake is just full of fish and I think they must be bulking up for winter."
Muirhead has been fishing both plastic worms and crankbaits in shad or crawdad colors to catch the big bass, but he said few other anglers are fishing the lake for bass. He said the best bite has been a dawn or just after sunset for the bass.
Most Corona Lake anglers are focusing on the very good catfish action with five-fish stringers common for anglers fishing nightcrawlers, shrimp, or mackerel chunks.
The best catfish reported this past week was a 6 ?? pounder caught by Mike Porter, Riverside, to top off an 11-fish stringer that weighed 17 pounds, all caught on nightcrawlers. Paul Duenas, Lake Elsinore, landed a six-pound cat to fill out his 24-hour, 15-fish limit that weighed 21 pounds. Kelly Bolling, Lakewood, and Rick Getten, Whittier, teamed up to landed 10 catfish that weighed 35 pounds total.
Lake regular Dave Berry, Elsinore, caught a 15-fish, 24-hour catfish limit that weighed 40 pounds and included a five-pounder while fishing shrimp one day and caught 20 bluegill to 1/4-pound on another trip.
Besides the bass and catfish, the bluegill, tilapia, and crappie are also showing in fair to good numbers. Most of the tilapia are up to about 1 1/2 pounds with some to three pounds and they are showing on nightcrawler pieces. Dave and Tony Garcia, Rialto, had 10 tilapia that weighted 8 1/2 pounds total. The bluegill are mostly small -- up to a quarter-pound each -- and showing on meal worms, while the few anglers landing crappie are using small jigs. Bud Welford, Norco, had a two-pound crappie on a white jig.
Trout season will kick off on Oct. 22 after a major plant of the new Nebraska "Tailwalker" rainbow trout. These full-finned rainbows are grown on a rich diet and in raceways with heavy flows that make them firm-muscled and strong with bright salmon-colored meat. The lake will also be planted with Mt. Lassen Trout Farms fish in alternating weeks with the Tailwalkers, and some of those plants will have the giant rainbows that have made Mt. Lassen famous.
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 $20 passes has a five-fish limit. The popular 24-hour fishing passes are offered every Friday and Saturday night. These passes have a 15-fish limit and cost $60. The family special, where mom and up to three kids 12 or under can help dad catch his limit, will apply on these all-night passes. For more Corona Lake fishing information, call (951) 277-4489 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.