Finally! Trout season begins this week at Santa Ana River Lakes
The first trout plants of the season went into Santa Ana River Lakes on Wednesday this week when Jess Ranch's Ruby Red rainbows were planted. 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. Next 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 Santa Ana River Lakes 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 anglers shouldn't forget about the catfish action. Heavy stockings all summer and fall have stockpiled the lakes with quality channel cats and the bonus plant of catfish to seven pounds last week has kept the catfish action hot with many anglers posting nice stringers.

The big catfish of the week was a nice seven-pound fish landed by Santiago Palacios, West Covina, on the marshmallow-meal worm combination. Roy Trejillo, Claremont, and Andy Rivera, Covina, teamed up to land nine cats that weighed 23 pounds total, and their big fish was a 6 1/2 pounder. Marcus Chin, Tustin, also landed a 6 1/2 pounder, while Christian Rimando, Anaheim, landed a six-pounder.

Top baits have been shrimp or nightcrawlers doused with Gravy, but the marshmallow-meal worm combo has also been productive. The fish are showing all around the big lake, with Chris' Pond and the Catfish Lake getting very little 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 sold once a month on Friday and Saturday nights nearest the full moon. These passes remain just $60. Anglers can bring a spouse and up to three kids to help fill the 24-hour pass 15-fish limit. The fish 24-hour fishing during trout season will be November 6 and 7. For Santa Ana River Lakes fishing information, call 714-632-7830 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.