Catfish Fishing at Santa Ana River Lakes

in Southern California

     Hello fellow anglers:
Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this article, I would like to tell you about a catfish fishing (Hot Spot), I visited over the weekend. It’s the Santa Ana River Lakes located in the city of Anaheim, In Southern California. The three lakes are heavily stocked with Trout in the winter and Catfish in the summer. Big Rainbow Trout are stocked over 20 pounds! There are also Bass, Crappie, Sturgeon, Wiper and Bluegill. This combination of three lakes, holds the State record Channel Catfish at 52 pounds, 10 oz.  There is also a five fish catch limit. The fee for day fishing, 6 am to 4 pm, and evening fishing from 5 pm to 11 pm is $20.00, they also have a 24 hour pass for trout fishing once a month during the winter months for $60.00 with a 15 fishing limit.

       The Santa Ana River Lakes has boat rentals, bait shop, tackle rental, food, beer & sodas a picnic area with restrooms.  You can launch your own boat or fish from the bank. I like going to the Santa Ana River Lakes because they stock the lakes twice a week with large fish. The catfish fishing and trout fishing tackle you need to have is medium to heavy rod with spinner reel, I recommend the ugly stick or g-loomis since those are my favorite. (Tip), the line to use should not be less than 30 pound test because of the size of the trout and channel catfish in these three lakes; use strong line and sharp hooks so the big one won’t get away.

     The bait to use at this hot spot is chartreuse Nitro Bait with Nitro Grease or inflated night-crawlers with garlic-flavored Nitro Gravy. Many of the angler’s that are catfish fishing or trout fishing have had great success using these baits here.

     Catfish fishing should always be fun and relaxing. As with any other sport, what put into it is what you get out of it. Catfish fishing from the shore line can be very rewarding if you know the body of water that you’re fishing. Catfish smell their prey so try fishing from an area where the current flows away from the shore this allows the bait scent to travel to a broader area of the water to attract more catfish to the area you want them to be in. Try chumming with something catfish like. For the Santa River Lakes use a small amount of dough bait that has garlic in it or any type of canned fish such as sardines. Used the oil from the sardines in your dough bait for a strong scent and texture, this should draw the big catfish, trout and carp to your area like a magnet.

     Cast your line out about 30 to 50 feet. Reel in slow without pause; this will keep your baited hook off the bottom. Now if you have bobber floats, use them. Catfish usually stay close to the bottom and hunt for food, so making a bait scent trail is the best way to get the catfish as close to you as possible. By luring the catfish close by with chum, that will make other catfish in the area come to your location, this little tactic, my friends will make the catfish go into a feeding frenzy. This is one of my most popular tips.

     When you feel your first nibble, don’t get excited, relax and let the fish swallow the bait. You will know when catfish swallow a baited hook because the catfish is going to run “swim away fast”. That’s when you set you hook by pulling your rod up hard. After you have set your hook, reel in and pause, reel in and pause. Catfish love to swim side to side when hooked, so that’s why pause is good between reeling to allow the catfish to tire out. Once you have bagged your catfish limit, weigh them, take a picture of your catch, and then clean them.  Now all you have to do is take your catch home and cook it.  View my Catfish recipes for suggestions on cooking your catfish. Well fellow anglers, that’s what makes your catfish fishing trip the best it can be.

 My next article will be coming soon. Thank you for viewing!

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