The annual shoreline maintenance is mostly done at Santa Ana River Lakes and the water level is coming back up quickly. The catfish action never did slow down much with a fair to good bite for the few anglers who've been fishing the lake, in spite of the steep and muddy shoreline.
The water level is expected to come up quickly and catfish plants continue each week.
Mary and Crystal Gray, both Anaheim, proved there are still quality catfish to be caught at SARL. Mary landed a 6 1/2-pounder, while Crystal landed an eight-pound cat. Both were fishing with nightcrawlers doused with Nitro Gravy at Three Pipes. Armondo Halo, Garden Grove, have five cats that weighed 19 pounds using mackerel at the boat dock. Rattana Peng, Vichoepn Khoeun and John Gatchadian, all Los Angeles, had nine catfish on shrimp, while Kathy Harris, Corona, landed a 4 1/2-pound cat, also on shrimp.
Anglers are cautioned to be very careful along the steep-sided shoreline as the lake fills.
Trout season will begin on Wednesday, 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 over 20 pounds that has made Mt. Lassen famous.
Santa Ana River Lakes 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 but the popular 24-hour passes are no longer being sold. Each of the regular passes cost $20 and has a five-fish limit. For Santa Ana River Lakes fishing information, call (714) 632-7830 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.