The catfish bite stayed hot with a lot of nice stringers reported again this week at Santa Ana River Lakes.

Catfish anglers have been having the most success while fishing from boats, especially in the deeper water.

??Top baits have been mackerel, the M&M (marshmallow and mealworm) combo, and nightcrawlers, and most anglers are adding shrimp, anchovy, or garlic Nitro Gravy. The hot spot this past week has been Levitz' Corner.

While there have not been a lot of monster cats, there have been a lot of quality stringers. Wade Labasan and Cody Labasan, both of Cypress, teamed up for a 31-0 stringer with fish to 5-0. Moises Castillo and Reyna Castillo, both of Santa Ana, landed a stringer of cats totaling 42-0 with fish to 6-0 on mackerel in Catfish Lake. Scott Zimnicki, Garden Grove, caught a 15 fish limit totaling 28-8 on nightcrawlers. Danny Guerrero, San Pedro, caught five catfish totaling 11-12. Tyler Hayes and Chris Coldwell, both of Corona, teamed up for a five-fish stringer totaling 11-12 with fish to 3-0. Travis Scott, Orange, caught a stringer of cats totaling 21-8 with fish to 4-0 on mackerel. Isaias Navarro, Santa Ana, caught nine cats totaling 17-8. Ed Czarnick, Anaheim, caught a stringer of cats totaling 18-0.

Another sturgeon was landed this week. David Chow, Rowland Hights, caught a 50-plus pounder on a nightcrawler near the boat dock. Anglers are reminded that if they hook and land one of these bruisers, they are catch-and-release only -- but there is a reward for the catch. The $200-value prize package includes two free gate passes ($40 value), a free pontoon boat rental ($85 value), and a top-quality Eagle Claw fishing combo that includes a graphite catfish rod, multi-ball bearing spinning reel, and spool of Lazer line ($75 value).

Santa Ana River Lakes is open seven days a week with fishing 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 $20 passes has a five-fish limit. The lake's 24-hour passes are available every week on Friday and Saturday nights. These passes have a 15-fish limit and cost $45. The lake is planted with catfish each week.