Corona Lake to receive big plant of 'keepable' sturgeon
Catchable-sized and "keepable" sturgeon are being planted at Corona Lake this week for the Warm Water Grand Opening beginning Friday and continuing through Father's Day at this western Riverside County water.

This will be the first time anglers will be allowed to catch and keep sturgeon at Corona Lake, which has been planted in the past with trophy sturgeon up to 100 pounds or more. This first plant of catchable fish will consist of three to five pounders, and anglers will be able to keep two sturgeon under five pounds or one fish from five to 15 pounds. Anglers can make up the rest of their five-fish limit with the "silver" catfish and tilapia, also being planted this week in big numbers for the kickoff to the summer fishing season.

Anglers with 24-hour passes can keep three sturgeon under five pounds and two fish over five pounds, and those fish count against their overall 15-fish limit on this pass.

Corona Lake anglers have been seeing good action on catfish, tilapia, and bluegill over the past week, but most of the fish are showing in deeper water spots, especially around the structure at mid-lake for boat and float tube anglers.

Limits of catfish have been the most common catch with the cleaning stations almost always busy with anglers cleaning 1 1/2 to two pound cats, with some bigger. Top baits have been J.D.'s Mackerel, shrimp, nightcrawlers, or the marshmallow-meal worm combo, and all are improved if doused with Gravy.

The bluegill and tilapia are best on nightcrawler pieces fished close to brush, and the bluegill have mostly been half- to 3/4-pounders, while the tilapia are running up to two pounds with some a little better.

The summer catfish plants are twice a week this season and the tilapia are going in each week.

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 $22. Seniors only pay $20, with a special $17 pass sold on Wednesdays. All of these passes have a five-fish limit. For kids 4 to 13, a three-fish pass is just $9. The 24-hour passes are now sold every Friday and Saturday and remain just $60. Anglers can bring a spouse and up to three kids to help fill the 24-hour pass 15-fish limit. For Corona Lake fishing information, call 951-277-4489 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com for more information.