It has been two years since float tubes were allowed at Santa Ana River Lake, but it has always been one of the most productive ways to catch more and bigger trout at SARL. There will be a special instructional float tube event this Saturday where anglers can fish with veterans and learn the tricks that make the tubes so effective.

The best part is that tube launching is free for the Saturday event (normally launching is $5) and $2-off entry coupons will be handed out at the gate from 5:30 to 6 a.m. for even further savings. Prior to the Saturday instruction event, SARL will be planted with a big load of Nebraska Tailwalker rainbows.

All this is in preparation for the big tournament coming up the following weekend -- the Inflatable Navy Homecoming Event, a special event and optional jackpot tournament to celebrate the reopening of the lakes to float tube fishing. The event will be held Saturday, March 19, coinciding with SARL's biggest stocking ever of Lightning Trout.

There will be drawings for a host of prizes, including two grand prize Outcast Float Tube packages valued at $500 each, for everyone attending. If you choose to enter the 100+ percent payback jackpot event, you will get an Inflatable Navy tee-shirt and special Jalisco Style three taco lunch with rice & beans included in the entry. Payback will be to the three biggest fish in two divisions -- float tube and non-float tube - with a possible top prize of $1,500 in each category with a full field of 200 entrants. Complete details are on The Lakes web site at www.fishinglakes.com.

Both of these events are happening when some of the best trout fishing of the season is taking place at Santa Ana River Lakes. In the past week, a pair of 20-pound rainbows were landed, one by Artura Velasquez, Anaheim, fishing a green dough bait near the boat dock, and the other by Paul Duda, Long Beach, on rainbow floating bait at Three Pipes. Manual Mugica, Riverside, had a 10-pound rainbow on white dough bait at the pump house, and seven-pound rainbows were caught by Silan Evelino, Placentia, and Avi Maraj, Hawthorne. One of the best five-fish limits this past week was a stringer of five at 15 pounds weighed in by Scott Zimnicki, Garden Grove, fishing the marshmallow-meal worm combo at the road. His best fish was a four-pounder.

The bite has been very good on a wide variety of floating dough baits, but anglers fishing the small trout plastics or trout jigs are also scoring fish. Eagle Claw just released its new Premium Trout Bait with garlic scent added to the high-floating dough bait, and it is available in rainbow and chartreuse. This new bait has been particularly effective in the past few days.

SARL and its sister water Corona Lake will have a large booth at this year's Fred Hall Show in Long Beach which kicks off Wednesday this week and runs through Sunday. There will be free discount coupons given away from both lakes at this event for those who stop by the booth. There will also be a special announcement at this event.

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 pay only $20. All of these passes have a five-fish limit. For kids 4 to 13, a three-fish pass is just $9. There are 24-hour passes available the weekend nearest the full moon during trout season. Due to the Inflatable Navy Tournament at Santa Ana River Lakes, 24 hour fishing will ONLY be held at SARL on the evening of Saturday, March 19th. But at Corona Lake, 24-hour fishing will be held both Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th. And on the following weekend of the 25th and 26th, we will hold a BONUS 24 hour session at both Lakes. These passes cost $60 and anglers can bring a spouse and up to three kids to help fill the 24-hour pass 15-fish limit.. Camping at SARL is also free with a 24-hour pass. For Santa Ana River Lakes fishing information, call 714-632-7830 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.