There was excellent trout action during the Lip RipperZ Hatchery Dust Takeover Tournament this past Saturday at Corona Lake and the top three rainbows caught were all over 18 pounds.

The big fish was a 19-pound, 11-ounce rainbow caught by Xavier Barriga, pictured of Hesperia, while fishing with a white trout worm from a boat. Second place went to Kory Allen, Garden Grove, with a 19-pound, seven-ounce rainbow caught from a float tube at the tree line on a Litl RipperZ jig, and third place was an 18-pound, two-ounce trout caught by Bob Barr, Tustin, also on a Litl RipperZ jig from a float tube at the dam. The fourth place fish, and the final fish in the money, was a 14-pound, five-ounce rainbow landed by Chuck Yansom, Lake Elsinore, landed on floating bait rolled in Hatchery Dust from shore at J.D.'s Point.

Big fish outside of the tournament included a 14 1/2-pounder landed by Jaime Borrend, Murrieta, to top off a four-fish 22 1/2-pound stringer landed on Mice Tails fished from a boat. Patrick Equipilag, Azusa, landed an 11 3/4-pounder on chartreuse PowerBait.

While the big fish always garner lots of attention, it is the solid, limit-style fishing that has been keeping the lake crowded with anglers. Five-fish stringer typically weigh 10 pounds or more, and lots of anglers are getting limits. Kris Knalson, Corona, landed five rainbows for a 17 1/2-pound total, including an eight-pounder on green floating bait from a boat. Michel Mistrella, Victorville, had five rainbows for 15 pounds and her best fish was an eight-pounder. Russ Carr, Canyon Lake, had a pretty typical catch of five trout for 10 1/4-pounds and his best was a three-pounder, all on Mice Tails.

The best action has been on floating dough baits rolled in Hatchery Dust, garlic-scented nightcrawlers, Power Mice and other small trout plastics, and small trout jigs. The best bite for shore anglers is still from the cove behind bait shop all the way to the dam. Boat and float tubes are getting most of their fish from the dam to the upper end of the lake along the main channel, with the area off the boats docks especially good this past week. There are huge plants each week, and all stocks include trophy-quality rainbows topping 10 pounds.

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.