While most anglers have been focused on Corona Lake's exceptional trout action, a 53 ??-pound catfish created a huge buzz at the Riverside County lake this past week. The huge catfish was caught and released by Pedro Pevez, pictured of Whittier from shore and drew a crowd.

It remains trout that are providing most of the action and excitement at Corona Lake, and the two biggest trout reported this week were landed on the same bait combination: A Berkley mouse tail rolled in the new Lip RipperZ Hatchery Dust. The biggest rainbow of the week was a 15 ??-pounder caught by Josh Stark of Murrieta from his float tube on that magic bait combo, while Flory Medina, Corona, landed a 13 ??-pound rainbow fishing from the shoreline behind the tackle shop on the same bait. Alex Saucedo, Menifee, caught a 10 ??-pound trout on chartreuse PowerBait with garlic Gravy fishing at the dam.

The bite remains exceptional with limits of one to two-pound rainbows pouring out of the lake. Mike Brocamonte, Covina, landed five rainbows for 13 pounds on orange PowerBait with Hatchery Dust. Wes Wright, Fullerton, had five rainbows for 12 ?? pounds, including a five-pounder, on nightcrawlers with Hatchery Dust, and Patrich Gengooriyan, Burbank, had a 10 ??-pound, five-fish stringer that was topped off with a 5 ??-pounder, all caught on green PowerBait with Hatchery Dust. Josh and J.B. Gierlich, both Riverside, had 10 rainbows for 13 ??-pounds on B-Line Jigs with garlic Gravy. Greg and Jose Sanchez along with Jose Compas, all Buena Park, landed 15 rainbows for a 25 ??-pound stringer, all on Mice Tails with Hatchery Dust. Overall, the action has been best for shore anglers fishing from the cove behind bait shop all the way to the dam, while the boat and float tube anglers are scoring from the dam to the upper end of the lake along the main channel. The best bite has been on floating baits or Power Mice rolled in the new Hatchery Dust, scent-doused nightcrawlers, small trout jigs and trout plastics.

Heavy weekly plants of rainbows averaging around a pound are made each week, and those plants always have a hefty component of rainbows from five to eight pounds along with super trophies topping 10 pounds and going well up into the teens.

Corona Lake is open on a seven-days-a-week schedule. Fishing is 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 $25. Seniors pay only $23, with a $20 special on Wednesdays. All of these passes have a five-fish limit. For kids 4 to 13, a three-fish pass is just $12. The 24-hour passes are only sold the weekend nearest the full moon. The 24-hour passes cost $75 and have a 15 fish limit. An angler can bring his wife and up to three kids 17 and under and all can help fill the 15-fish limit on one of these passes, and camping is free at Corona with a 24-hour pass.