Inflatable Navy Homecoming Tournament at SARL won with nice 16-9 rainbow trout.

A huge stocking of Lightning Trout combined with the Inflatable Navy Homecoming Event made for a busy weekend at Santa Ana River Lakes, but the fishing was excellent with many anglers reporting limits of Lightning Trout or nice mixed stringers of rainbows and Lightning Trout.

The big fish on the weekend and the tournament was a 16-pound, nine-ounce rainbow caught by lake regular Jay Lamori of La Puente to win the shoreline component of the tournament and $1,500. Julio Urrutia of Riverside won the float tube part of the event with a 3-pound, 15-ounce fish, also taking home $1,500.

Other good catches including a 9 1/2-pound rainbow landed by Lucy Roberts and Andeigh Jordan, both Lakewood, fishing with Power Bait near the boat dock. Art Montoya, Robert Granados, Anthony Perez, and David Rivas, all Azusa, were fishing with garlic floating bait near the boat dock and landed 20 trout with a total weight of 45 pounds and a big fish at 5 1/2 pounds. Craig Joachim, Anaheim, landed five trout for a 15-pound stringer on an orange Power Mouse at three pipes., while Richard Guzman, Diamond Bar, landed five trout for 10 3/4-pounds fishing floating bait near the boat dock.. Lee Aaron, Hawthorne, had a mixed stringer of trout and catfish and his five fish weighed in at 14 pounds with a seven-pound cat his best fish.

Over 50 float tubers competed in the special event celebrating the reopening of SARL to float tubes on Saturday, and there were hundreds of shoreline anglers competing for the prizes. Anglers can see dozens of photos from this event and the many stringers of trout caught on The Lakes web site at www.fishinglakes.comor in the forum section at www.fishingnetwork.net.

Don't forget that SARL and its sister water Corona Lake will have special stocks in April of a some new, giant, full-finned trophy rainbows topping 12 pounds called Big Bad Reds. Keep an eye on the SARL/Corona web site -- www.fishinglakes.comn -- for more information on when these plants begin.

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. But this weekend we are having a special bonus 24-hour Fishing Session Friday and Saturday the 25th and 26th at both Santa Ana River Lakes and Corona Lake. The following 24-hour action is tentatively set for April 15-16. These 24-hour 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.