976-FRESH Freshwater Fish Report

IRVINE LAKE: Good action across the board here. The trout bite has been excellent, and the largemouth bass are as good. There has also been good action on crappie and bluegill, and a budding bite on the catfish. Most of the trout are nice two-pound class fishing with some bigger. While rainbows are dominating the catch, a few browns and brookies are also being landed. Both shore anglers and trollers have been scoring. The shore bite has been beast along the west shoreline with garlic PowerBait and trollers working the flats with countdown and ultralight Rapalas, Flicker Shad, and SC Shiners. Matt Spelman, San Pedro, landed a 10-pound rainbow on a PowerBait-nightcrawler combo off the flats, while Amil Asuljic, Anaheim, caught a 4-6 brown on a Thomas Buoyant from Woodyís Cove. The bass are still mostly stacked up in shallow water for the spawn with a lot of two to four-pound fish showing on plastics and reaction baits. Whitney Curry, Silverado, caught and released an 11-4 largemouth on dropshot plastics off the flats. Crappie are showing on drop-shot two-inch Gulp! Minnows or drifted Atomic Tubs with a meal worm. Best action in 12 to 20 feet of water in Boat Dock Cove and Santiago Flats. The bluegill bite is also starting to turn on, and more and more catfish are starting to show for anglers fishing mackerel or shrimp on the flats. Randy Amot, Newport Beach, landed a 20-2 blue catfish, while Anthony Daquilla, 5, Orange, caught a 1-8 crappie. No state fishing license is required here. Lake information: 714-649-9111 or www.irvinelake.net.

ANAHEIM LAKE: Closed. Anaheim Lake only opens when Santa Ana River Lakes is closed for cleaning and maintenance. Information: 714-996-3508 or www.fishinglakes.com.

SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES: Limit-style trout fishing continues here on a wide variety of floating baits and the Power Mice and Lip Ripper Ratz. The small trout worms and trout jigs are also very good bets. The big rainbow of the week was a 10-pounder caught by Devin Nguyen, Santa Ana, fishing a meal worm at Three Pipes. A 9 1/2-pound rainbow topped off an eight-fish, 19-pound stringer landed by Henry and E.J. Manzo, Pico Rivera, fishing in Chris Pond. Al Rotta, Lomita, landed a 7 1/4-pound rainbow on orange dough bait in Chrisí Pond, and Art and Shiela Howard, Orange, landed a five-pound rainbow to top off their eight-fish, 24-pound stringer caught on orange and white Power Mice in Chrisí Pond. The catfish bite continues to improve with the warm weather, while none of the big blue cats planted three weeks ago were reported this past week, some pretty good catches of two- to three-pound catfish have been reported, mostly on mackerel, with the fish showing from all three lakes. Lip RipperZ big fish contest runs through April 29. Weekly trout plants will continue at least through April. Other than float tubes, no water craft are allowed due to fears of invasive quagga mussels being introduced into the water system. No state fishing license is required here. Information: 714-632-7851 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.

LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE: The trout action remains good to excellent with 2,000-pound plants this Tuesday and last week, including trophy rainbows. The big fish was a 10-8 rainbow landed by Miguel Valencia, Santa Ana, on a chartreuse Power Bait while Ted Ohashi, Corona, had a 10-3 on a PowerBait-nightcrawler combo. Fly angler Chris Sebourn, San Juan Capistrano, landed a 10-2 rainbow on a zebra midge, while Mike OíMally, Santa Monica, had a 10-pounder on a chartreuse Mini Jig. Ichiro Shitsubo, Irvine, landed a 10-pounder on a Trout King worm, while Liz Fortuna, Montebello, had a 10-pound rainbow on a Roostertail. The largemouth bass bite is also very good with bass to 12-pound caught and released. The fish are in the shallows and on beds and some anglers are catching and releasing more than 20 fish a day on plastics. Crappie have also taken off with small fish along the shorelines and slabs to three pound showing around deeper structure on small jigs. Information: 949-362-3885 or www.lagunaniguellake.com.

IRVINE LAKE: For the second week in a row, a rainbow trout topping 20 pounds was caught by an angler here. This weekís big fish was a 20-6 landed by Wes Kurz, Lake Elsinore, fishing a hand-crafter Power ìMouseî off the west shoreline on just four-pound test. Clint Blokdyk, Westminster, had a 10-poujnd rainbow on PowerBait off the west shoreline. The top fish in the Berkley Cup was a 5-4 landed by Larry Cassidy, Corona, to capture the $1,000 top prize and a $500 Berkley gift certificate.  The bass bite may be hotter than the very good trout action with the fish still in the shallows in the spawn. The bass are showing on swimbaits, plastics, and a wide variety of reaction baits. Anglers are still having 15 to 30 fish days, along with a few quality fish. Jimmy Getty, Silverado, landed a 10-2 on a Huddleston, while Vic Gallardo, Orange, had a 7-6 bass on a drop-shot plastic. The crappie bite is also fair, but few anglers are targeting them, with most showing up on trout trollersí stringers. Ricky Oliver, La Mirada, landed a 1-8 crappie. The catfish bite is also starting to pick up, mostly on the flats and in Sierra Cove. Steve Hathaway, Los Angeles, landed a 3-8 channel on shrimp. No state fishing license is required here. Lake information: 714-649-9111 or www.irvinelake.net.

SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES: Very good trout action after big trout plants last week, and the catfish bite kicked into gear after a stock of blue catfish. The biggest trout reported were fish at 10 pounds. One was caught by Brian Hart, Agoura Hills, fishing an anchovy in Chrisí Pond, while John Drexel, Carson, was fishing red, white and blue floating bait at the Bubble Hole to land his 10-pounder, which topped off a five-fish 24 1/2-pound stringer. Eddie Espinosa, Anaheim, had rainbows at 10, 8 1/2 and eight pounds. Rainbows at 9 1/2-pounds were caught by Humburto Bautista, Anaheim, (who also had a nine-pounder), Robert Vierregger, Long Beach, and Jonathan Saenz and Occar Ceballos, both of Tujunga. Nine-pound rainbows were posted by Sean Garcia, Azusa, and John Omiya, Villa Park. While a lot of quality stringers were reported, Luis Rodriguez, Santa Ana, weighed in five trout that weighed in at 21 Ω pounds, including a 7 1/2-pounder, all on nightcrawlers in Chrisí Pond. The best action continues to be on floating dough baits in chartreuse and rainbow colors with garlic scent impregnated or added to the baits. But Power Mice, or home-made versions with nightcrawler or plastic trout worm tails have also been very good. The usual array of small trout jigs and trout plastics, especially in bright colors, have also been good for the trout. The catfish bite is also picking up on nightcrawlers and cut baits,but the overall big fish of the week was a 16.8-pound carp landed by Joyce Woodall, Norwalk, from Chrisí Pond while fishing for trout with rainbow-colored floating bait. Other than float tubes, no water craft are allowed due to fears of invasive quagga mussels being introduced into the water system. No state fishing license is required here. Information: 714-632-7851 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.

LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE: Heavy stockings of trout every Tuesday have made for excellent action here, and trophy fish were planted again last week. Nightcrawlers and any color of PowerBait dipped in Bite On garlic scent has been the hot ticket for bait anglers, but fly anglers fishing bead head midges in black and red patterns are also scoring. Information: 949-362-3885 or www.lagunaniguellake.com.

IRVINE LAKE: A huge rainbow trout and even bigger blue catfish were the highlights of the action here this past week. The 21 1/4-pound rainbow was landed by Ronn Anderson, Mission Viejo, fishing an Atomic Tube bait. The 35 1/2-pound blue catfish was caught and released by Nick Sepulveda, Silverado, while bass fishing with a California-legal Alabama rig in Boat Dock Cove. Overall, the trout action has been good with most fish from two to four pounds, and trollers were have better luck than shoreline bait or lure tossers this week. The Daiwa March Madness Tournament was won by Mike Meredith, Irvine, with an 11-14 steelhead caught on a Lucky Craft lure while trolling at mid-lake, and this Saturday is the Berkley Cup Tournament. Other good trout include fish at 11-4 caught by Joseph Fernandez, Placentia, and a 10-4 caught by Shaun Martinez, Ontario. Phil Hildebrant, Anaheim, caught a nine-pound steelhead. The bass bite remains very good with a lot of fish in the two to four-pound class in the shallows. Top action has been on plastics, jerkbaits, and swimbaits. The bluegill and crappie are also kicking into gear with a few reported on nightcrawlers and small jigs, respectively. Outside of the big catfish, the cats are still pretty tough with little fishing pressure. No state fishing license is required here. Lake information: 714-649-9111 or www.irvinelake.net.

SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES: For the second week in a row, two rainbow trout topping 17 pounds were reported, and Lightning Trout were also reported in good numbers. The biggest rainbow was a 17-pound, 14-ouncer caught by Nick De Vroede, Fullerton, fishing at Levitzí Corner with gold dough bait last Thursday. On Saturday, Craig Adkinson, Orange, landed a 17 3/4-pound rainbow at the boat docks on a Lip RipperZ. Orange Countyís Jay Lamori won the Lip RipperZ Tournament at SARL this past Saturday with a 14-pound rainbow, winning the $450 top prize. Other big fish included a nine-pound rainbow that topped off a three-fish stringer posted by Daniel Maestas, Santa Ana, fishing chartreuse Nitro Bait in Chrisí Pond. Evelino Silan, Placentia, also had three rainbows and his top fish was an 8 1/4-pounder caught on a Power Mouse off the Sandy Beach, and Kyle Kim, Temple City, landed a 7 1/2-pound trout. Floating dough baits in chartreuse and rainbow colors with garlic scent impregnated or added to the baits have been the most popular bait used by anglers. But Power Mice, or home-made versions with nightcrawler or plastic trout worm tails have also been very good bets. The usual array of small trout jigs and trout plastics, especially in bright colors, have also been good. Last weekís Lightning Trout plant was the first time this season these fish were planted, but trout plants go in each week. Other than float tubes, no water craft are allowed due to fears of invasive quagga mussels being introduced into the water system. No state fishing license is required here. Information: 714-632-7851 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.

IRVINE LAKE: The trout action held up through the weekend rains with a lot of limits and some nice trout reported, and it took at least a 3-6 rainbow to break into the top 10 in during a Saturday Sports Chalet tournament. The event was won by Brian Carter, Fullerton, with a 10-10 trout to win the $1,533 top prize. Andrew Aparicio, Fullerton, was second with a 5-2 trout, and Darrell Leslie, Beaumont, was third with a 4-14 trout. Another tournament is set for this Saturday, the Diawa March Madness event, which includes one tagged trout worth $1,000 and is a qualifying event for the Berkley Cup the following weekend. The best bite has been on PowerBait Mice Tails, Gulp! two-inch Fat Floating Trout Worms, and nightcrawlers for bait dunkers. Trollers did well with firetiger-color Berkley Flicker Shad lures. The best bite has been at Trout Island, Boat Dock Cove, the west shoreline, and Santiago Flats. The bass bite remains very good with a lot of fish in the two to four-pound class in the shallows. Top action has been on plastics, jerkbaits, and swimbaits. Steve Garcia, Anaheim, landed a 9-6 bass on a drop-shot plastic off Crawdad Point. The bluegill and crappie bites are also kicking into gear with a few reported on nightcrawlers and small jigs, respectively. No state fishing license is required here. Lake information: 714-649-9111 or www.irvinelake.net.

LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE: Heavy stockings of trout every Tuesday have made for excellent action here, and trophy fish were planted again this week. Nightcrawlers and any color of PowerBait dipped in Bite On garlic scent has been the hot ticket for bait anglers, but fly anglers fishing bead head midges in black and red patterns are also scoring. Top fish this past week was a 13-5 landed by Jeffrey Vangyi, Santa Ana, caught and orange jig/worm combo while float tubing in the flats. Albert Rodriguez, Garden Grove, weighed in a 11-8, while Mark Arnold, Rancho Santa Margarita, caught a 10-10 trout. Arthur Samakian, Los Angeles, landed a 10-2, and Raenette Johnson, Orange, topped off her five-fish limit with a 10-pound trout. Behdad Khojasteh, Lakewood, also landed a 10-pounder. Information: 949-362-3885 or www.lagunaniguellake.com.

LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE: Heavy stockings of trout every Tuesday have made for excellent action here. Nightcrawlers and any color of PowerBait dipped in Bite On garlic scent has been the hot ticket for bait anglers, but fly anglers fishing bead head midges in black and red patterns are also scoring. Information: 949-362-3885 or www.lagunaniguellake.com.

IRVINE LAKE: Good trout action with the bait bite especially good in Boat Dock and Woodyís coves and Trout Island. Inflated nightcrawlers dipped in garlic scents and bright colors of PowerBait have been best. Trollers are also seeing some of the trout move deeper was the water warm with lead-core trolling (three to four colors) in mid-lake, Santiago Flats and along the buoy line the better bet now. Most of the trout are two to three pounds but some bigger. Top trout this week was a 13-6 rainbow landed by Kressler Quarles, Mission Viejo, on a Rapala at md-lake, and Wylie Bennett, Long Beach, landed a 12-1 rainbow trout on a Needlefish at Trout Island. The bass bite is really kicking into high gear as the fish start moving shallow to spawn. Lots of two-pound class fish on small plastics in less than 12 feet of water, and some real quality fish, too. Top bass report was a 10-6 caught by Alex Araias, Cypress, on a Triple Trout off the flats. Whitney Curry, Silverado, landed a 6-2 largemouth, also on Triple Trout off the flats. The bluegill bite is also kicking into gear with quite a few reported on nightcrawlers this past week, but few crappie reports. No state fishing license is required here. Lake information: 714-649-9111 or www.irvinelake.net.

SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES: Two rainbows topping 17 pounds highlighted the hot trout action here, and Lightning Trout are slated to go in this week. The top rainbow was a 17 1/2-pounder caught by Art Eslaya, San Gabriel, while fishing a nightcrawler at Three Pipes on Saturday. Jose Munoz, Santa Ana, caught a 17 1/4-pounder in Chrisí Pond on a firetiger Rapala on Thursday. Alfonzo Diaz, Tustin, landed a 10 1/2-pound rainbow on a jig at the Pump House, while Andrew Aparicio, Fullerton, caught an 8 1/2-pounder on a shad, also at the Pump House. Mike and Pete Vallejo along with Vincent Gonzales, all of West Covina, had nine trout for 20 pounds with a three-pound the top fish. The three were fishing chartreuse floating bait in Chrisí Pond, and a typical limit was posted by Jerry Warren, Monrovia, who had five trout that weighed 11 pounds total, including a three-pounder. Floating dough baits in chartreuse and rainbow colors with garlic scent impregnated or added to the baits have been the most popular bait used by anglers. But Power Mice, or home-made versions with nightcrawler or plastic trout worm tails have also been very good bets. The usual array of small trout jigs and trout plastics, especially in bright colors, have also been good. Lip RipperZ Tournament Series event to be held here this Saturday. Other than float tubes, no water craft are allowed due to fears of invasive quagga mussels being introduced into the water system. No state fishing license is required here. Information: 714-632-7851 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.

SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES: A nice combination of quality rainbows and heavy stringers of trout this past week. The best action has continued to be on a wide variety of floating dough baits with chartreuse and rainbow colors with garlic a top bet. Power Mice or the home-made equivalent featuring nightcrawler or plastic trout worm tails and a floating bait head have also been very good bets. The usual array of small trout jigs and trout plastics, especially in bright colors, are also fooling a lot of fish. The big rainbow this past week was a nine-pounder caught by Alfonso Diaz, Tustin, while fishing the Bubble Hole with a jig. Marco Escobedo, Azusa, landed a 7 1/4-pound rainbow on garlic-chartreuse floating bait at the road, and Roy Waldschmitt, North Hollywood, had a 6 1/2-pounder off the handicap beach fishing rainbow floating bait. The top stringers included a 10-fish, 25-pound catch posted by Art Villa, Orange, and Jose Vasquez, San Bernardino, while fishing off La Palma Point with nightcrawlers and chartreuse floating bait. Josse Gonzalez and Berla Medrano, both Pomona, had 14 rainbows for 26 1/2 pounds fishing white eggs at the road. Henry Manzo Sr. and Henry Jr., both of Pico Rivera, landed 10 rainbows for a 16 1/2-pound total in Chrisí Pond fishing Mice Tails. Trout plants are weekly, and this yearís only plant of Lightning Trout this season is set for March 15. Other than float tubes, no water craft are allowed due to fears of invasive quagga mussels being introduced into the water system. No state fishing license is required here. Information: 714-632-7851 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.