??Trout fishing was very good again this week at Santa Ana River Lakes. Trophy rainbows were common and many anglers reported catching limits. But the big news for this week is that the lake is slated to be planted with Mt. Lassen Trout Farms super trophy rainbow trout -- fish over 20 pounds -- for the Thanksgiving weekend.

"The guys at Mt. Lassen said they had more trophy trout than ever before, and we said, 'bring 'em on.'" said Doug Elliott at Santa Ana River Lakes.?Į????????Elliott was also hopeful this might be the season that a rainbow trout bigger than the state record and topping 30 pounds might be caught at SARL.

The bite for rainbows is excellent with anglers fishing from boats having better success. Chartreuse or rainbow Nitro Bait smeared with Nitro Grease has been working best. Trolling with Rapalas has also been very effective, and quite a few trout are also showing on nightcrawlers dipped in garlic Gravy. The hot spots this past week have been the bubble hole, Levitz' Corner, the pump house, Three Pipes, and Chris' Pond.

Norris Neale, Lakewood, caught the top trout this week at 14-0 on a nightcrawler at Chris' Pond. Emilio Rebollar, Orange, caught a 12-4 rainbow on a mini jig at Chris' Pond. Andrew Navarro, Anaheim, landed a 12-0 trout on a jig at the bubble hole. Jerry Jackson, Van Nuys, caught an 11-15 trout on Chartreuse Nitro Bait. Kevin Garret, Anaheim, caught two trout totaling 16-8 with the bigger weighing 11-8 on Chartreuse Nitro Bait. Craig Adkinson, Orange, caught a 9.8-pound trout on a jig at Chris' Pond. James Anderson, La Puente, caught a limit of rainbows with fish to 9-8 on Chartreuse Nitro Bait at Chris' Pond. Jay San Nicolas, Long Beach, caught a limit of trout with fish to 7-8 on Chartreuse at Chris' Pond.

Some catfish are still showing as well. Catfish anglers fishing from boats are still having the best success. The best baits have been mackerel, the M&M (marshmallow and mealworm) combo, shrimp, and nightcrawlers, all dipped in Gravy.

??Lots of small largemouth bass are showing, mostly in the Catfish Lake, on nightcrawlers and small Rapalas.??

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 only once a month for trout season -- the weekend closest to the full moon. These passes have a 15-fish limit and cost $45. The lake will be planted every Wednesday for the remainder of trout season. For Santa Ana River Lakes fishing information, call (714) 632-7830