A nice combination of quality rainbows and heavy stringers of trout have been the rewards for anglers fishing Santa Ana River Lakes over the past week.

The best action has continued to be on a wide variety of floating dough baits with chartreuse and rainbow colors with garlic a top bet. Power Mice or the home-made equivalent featuring nightcrawler or plastic trout worm tails have also been very good bets. The usual array of small trout jigs and trout plastics, especially in bright colors, are also fooling a lot of fish.

The big rainbow this past week was a nine-pounder caught by Alfonso Diaz, Tustin, while fishing the Bubble Hole with a jig. Marco Escobedo, Azusa, landed a 7  ?-pound rainbow on garlic-chartreuse floating bait at the road, and Roy Waldschmitt, North Hollywood, had a 6  ?-pounder off the handicap beach fishing rainbow floating bait.

The top stringers included a 10-fish, 25-pound catch posted by Art Villa, Orange, and Jose Vasquez, San Bernardino, while fishing off La Palma Point with nightcrawlers and chartreuse floating bait. Josse Gonzalez and Berla Medrano, both Pomona, had 14 rainbows for 26  ? pounds fishing white eggs at the road. Henry Manzo Sr. and Henry Jr., both of Pico Rivera, landed 10 rainbows for a 16  ?-pound total in Chris' Pond fishing Mice Tails.

Anglers are reminded at the Fred Hall Show is ongoing through Sunday this week at the Long Beach Convention Center. SARL and Corona Lake staff will be passing out discount coupons for gate admission and boat rentals during the show. Plus, they will be giving away a special two-for-one coupon valid only on March 31. This coupon will be available only at the Fred Hall Show. Don't forget to stop by The Lakes booth.

Also mark your calendars for March 15 and March 17. That Thursday is when Lightning Trout will be planted at The Lakes this year. This will be the only stocking of these popular, crimson and golden-hued trout this season, and the following Saturday is when the fourth event in the Lip RipperZ Tournament Series will be held with this event at Santa Ana River Lakes.