Last catfish plant of season this week; trout plants start Oct. 14 at Santa Ana River Lakes
Some of the last catfish season of season was stocked at Santa Ana River Lakes on Wednesday this week, and the plant included quality fish up to nine pounds. The first trout plant of the year will go in on October 14, when the first load of Jess Ranch Ruby Red rainbows.

The Ruby Reds are descended from steelhead stock and noted for their hard-fighting and high-jumping antics. These Jess Ranch fish are just one of three types of rainbow trout scheduled to be planted this fall and winter.. The following week on Oct. 21, the first of the Mt. Lassen Sierra 'Bows will go in. These are also pink-meated, full-finned rainbows bred to look more like quality, wild trout. That plant will be followed Oct. 28 with the first stocking of the beautiful and popular Nebraska Tailwalkers from Chalk Mound Trout Ranch in Nebraska, which debuted at the lake's last season.

The first three weeks of the trout season will showcase each of the varieties of rainbow trout SARL will get this season, and these trout represent the best rainbows being raised for the sportfishing marketplace, and anglers will see bigger and bigger rainbows as the season progresses. There will also be bonus plants of Lightning Trout, German brown trout, and Eastern brook trout during special events. The whole package will give anglers the most diverse trout fishing experience they can have in Southern California.

But all that starts next week. While the cooler evenings have slowed the catfish angler activity, the bite has remained very good with a lot of quality stringers and some nice catfish landed this past week.

The big fish was a 7 1/4-pound catfish landed by Rick Haney, Anaheim, on shrimp fishing at Louie's Landing. Collins Soloman, Placentia, had a 6 3/4-pound cat fishing Chris' Pond with salmon. Ron Merdaugh, Anaheim, caught a 6 1/2-pounder on shrimp, also at Louie's Landing.

The best stringer of the week went to Deion Daniels, Inglewood, who landed 21 catfish to 5 1/2 pounds fishing meal worms in Chris' Pond. The whole stringer weighed in at 54 pounds. Larry Clayton, Los Angeles, had a 16-pound, seven-fish stringer caught on shrimp near the boat dock and his best cat was a four-pounder.

Top baits have been shrimp or nightcrawlers doused with Gravy, but mackerel and the marshmallow-meal worm combo have also been productive. The fish are showing all around the big lake, with Chris' Pond and the Catfish Lake also productive but getting far less pressure.

A reminder that private boats are no longer being allowed at Santa Ana River Lakes do to fears of invasive quagga mussels being introduced into the water system. This closure does not apply to SARL's sister water Corona Lake.

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. 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 being sold every Thursday, Friday and Saturday through this 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. After this weekend, the 24-hour passes will only be sold on Friday and Saturday nights nearest the full moon starting November 6 and 7. For Santa Ana River Lakes fishing information, call 714-632-7830 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.