This is a privately stocked fishing lake available to the public for a $20 fee. Hours are 6AM to 4PM for day fishing and 5PM to 11PM for night fishing. 24-hour fishing (5PM to 4PM, Fri., and Sat.) is also available. There is a lake store for tackle and supplies. (714) 632-7830 recording, (714) 632-7851 voice. For more information, visit the Santa Ana River Lakes website

Boating Info:

    Rental boats are available and private boats may launch for an $8 fee. 4-stroke or electric motors only.

Fishing Info:

    Trout are stocked in the winter and Catfish in the summer. There are also some Bass and Carp in here. No fishing license is required. Rainbow trout record over 27-pounds.

• Read and Post Santa Ana River Lakes Fishing Reports Here

Comments and Tips:

    Bass fishing is great in the catfish lake using roostertails or small kastmasters, also carp up to thirty pounds caught using corn

Most trout are caught at the bubble hole, la palma point, johnny’s corner, the net and the boat docks. Best baits hear are inflated nightcrawlers and powerbait

Good catfish spots are at the three pipes, boat docks, pump house, the road, levitz corner, and the corner of the lake near the boat docks. Best baits are m and m, mackerel, and shrimp, I’ve also been successful using chunks of carp.

Most bass are caught in the bushy areas of the catfish lake and near the small canal where large carp hang out

F.y.i., m & m is a marshmallow mealworm combo, it actually works better than mackerel here, but the best catfish bait is shrimp here.

Catching large fish is very common to catching trout over ten pounds here

Over here, 90% of the fish are in ten percent of the water because they are in large schools, so if nothing is biting at the spot you are at you might want to move to another location.

Dipping powerbait into garlic or corn gravey makes the fish to bite better and using hog wild or red spray on shrimp and m & m or mackerel for catfish is good.

Trout are very shy here so use two pound test line and use a sliding sinker or split shot rig with a 1/16 or 1/18 hook. Trout here are great fighters.

If you want to have a good fight with the cats, use four pound test, but using eight or ten is fine. Cast out far and straight in front of you. A get a paper clip and attach it to a bobber and put it on the line so I can tell when a fish is taking the bait.

Carp are extremely shy and get scared quickly so they aren’t as easy to catch as many think. I catch tons of five to ten pounders using two pound test with a small hook using two or three pieces of corn (fly lining). When you see bubbling or boiling carp near shore, chum corn. Then cast your bait a few feet from shore and wait, you will have a bite in no time. Carp can be fished anywhere from the lake and it can be done all year long. The best time is at dusk.

This lake is so good that I have caught over forty fish over a week after a stock, I look around me and no one else would be catching fish. I will promise you that if you know how to fish this lake well, you will catch more cats here than anahiem or the vine.

i would choose shore fishing over the boat fishing because it’s just as good and it is more relaxing. Shore fishing access is as easy as parking your car right next your chosen fishing spot.

Your trip here will be worth much more than twenty bucks, I guarantee you.

P.S.

When night fishing for trout, point a flash light at the power bait so it will glow in the water.

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