Another good week of fishing at Santa Ana River Lakes. Chris' Pond is having some repair work done, and water levels have been lowered while these repairs are being completed.

The big lake and Catfish Lake have been the best spots to fish with Chris' Pond being very difficult to fish because of the steep sides.

The hot spot this past week was the bubble hole in the big lake. The best baits continue to be mackerel, the M&M (marshmallow and mealworm) combo, shrimp, and nightcrawlers, all dipped in Gravy. Anglers fishing from boats are still having the best success, especially with the lower water levels making shore fishing difficult.

Danielle Cacpac, Los Angeles, caught the top catfish this week at 11-8 on shrimp at Levitz' Corner. Daniel Kong, Ken Yim, and Nate Chang, all of Cerritos, teamed up to catch 10 catfish totaling 40-0, with fish to 10-8, all on mackerel at the bubble hole. Scott and Vincent Zimnicki, both of Garden Grove, caught 19 catfish totaling 41-8 with fish to 4-8 on mackerel at the bubble hole. David Thompson, Mira Loma, caught nine catfish totaling 21-0 with fish to 5-8 on anchovies from the Catfish Lake. Anthony Leon, Chatsworth, caught seven catfish totaling 25 pounds with fish to 8.1 pounds on mackerel at La Palma Point.??

No sturgeon were landed this week, but 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 Thursday through Saturday nights. These passes have a 15-fish limit and cost $45. The lake is planted with catfish each week.