It happens each spring. Randy Muirhead of San Bernardino fishes Corona Lake with the intention of landing a big largemouth bass, and each year he does it. This past Monday, Muirhead caught and released a 15  ?-pound largemouth fishing a salt and pepper plastic worm with Eagle Claw Gravy in the trees on the north end of the lake.

This is the third time Muirhead has landed a bass over 15 pounds from Corona Lake.

While the big bass created quit a stir at the lake, it is the excellent catfish bite -- thanks to recent plants of both Silver King channel cats and the new fast-growing blue catfish -- that is getting the most attention. There also continues to be a pretty fair bite on holdover trout in the deeper water at the dam and through the middle part of the lake.

The quality blue catfish are already starting to show up for anglers, and this week is the official grand opening with giant loads of all sizes of blue catfish and the channels going in for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

The big catfish reported was a 9 1/2-pounder caught by Trevor Hohman visiting from Ohio. He was fishing the S&S Super Catfish bait at the dam. Rusty Gygax, Los Angeles, had four cats, including fish at 9 1/2 and eight pounds on nightcrawlers for a float tube. Earl Pierce, Temecula, landed an 8 1/2-pounder on a homemade dough bait at the south end of the lake, while Larry Sander, Lancaster, caught an eight-pound cat on mackerel off the east shore.

The top trout catch was reported by Randy Wichman, Tujunga, who landed four rainbows on nightcrawlers fishing from shore at the dam. His stringer weighed 13 1/2-pounds and his top trout was 6 1/4 pounds.

The crappie also continue to bite but they are getting little pressure. J.P. Morgan, Riverside, and Greg Kemple, Fontana, were fishing red and white jigs tipped with wax worms behind the bait shop to landed five crappie to 1 3/4-pound each.