The catfish bite has been pretty much wide open at Santa Ana River Lakes through the weekend during the full moon period. Lots of full stringers of cats with quality fish showing in good numbers. The big catfish of the week was a nine-pounder caught by Santiago Oshaya, Anaheim, on nightcrawlers, see the photo above.

Jimmy Chiv, Anaheim, landed a seven-pound cat on shrimp, while Larry Uselton, Garden Grove, topped off his five-fish stringer with a five-pounder, also on shrimp. One of the top stringers of the week was posted by Santiago Palacios, West Covina, who landed 14 cats and a 10-pound sturgeon for a total stringer that weighed 45 pounds. He was fishing shrimp. Phillip Beanes, Darvin Chang, Co Dang, and Jonathan Villalobos, all West Covina, landed 16 catfish for 30 pounds on mackerel. Arturo Sr., Diego, and Arturo Hernandez Jr., all Paramount, landed 10 catfish for a 29 1/2-pound stringer on mackerel. Joe Huynh, Long Beach, landed five cats for 13 1/4 pound on mackerel, while Nash and Mark Helm, both La Mirada, had a mixed stringer of 10 cats and tilapia for 17 1/2 pounds.

The best catfish bite has been on cut shrimp or mackerel, but nightcrawlers are also a good bet, and many anglers are suspending the bait up off the bottom by adding a marshmallow to the bait. The catfish have been showing throughout the complex with no real hotspots this past week. The catfish plants are still twice a week, and tilapia are still being planted once a week. From now through Oct. 2, all anglers at SARL and sister water Corona Lake are competing to win a 12-day long-range fishing trip aboard the Royal Polaris out of San Diego. Whoever catches the biggest catfish by Oct. 2 in the "Big Cats, Big Tuna" event wins the trip and the chance to catch giant yellowfin tuna to 200 pounds and more. The biggest cat wins. The weekly plants of brood stock fish will also become bigger and more plentiful at both waters, with fish from 15 to 30 pounds being planted over the next few weeks as part of the event.