Massive stocks of Lightning Trout and trophy rainbows led to excellent, limit-style fishing this past weekend at Santa Ana River Lakes and the trout are being caught all around the big lake and in Chris' Pond.

The big fish portion of the weekend tournament was won by Daniel Gutierrez, Carson, with a 17-pound, seven-ounce rainbow landed on a Lip RipperZ jig while fishing at the bubble hole.

Other quality fish reported included a 12 1/2-pounder that topped off a seven-fish, 27-pound stringer caught by Ismael Zabala and Alfonso Andrade, both Los Angeles, fishing rainbow PowerBait at the three pipes. There was an 11 1/4-pounder that was part of a 10 fish, 23 3/4-pound stringer caught by Jesse Gutierrez, Downey, and Darrell Potts, Norwalk, fish garlic-flavored chartreuse PowerBait near the pump house. Potts had the bigger fish.

Most stringers reported over the past week have had four to six-pound kicker fish, and some anglers had two or three of those bigger fish as part of their catch. Rocky Valencia, Santa Ana, had five trout totaling 17 1/4 pounds, including one fish at five-pounds, two-ounces, all on chartreuse PowerBait along the south shore and near three pipes. Craig Joachim, Anaheim, also had a 5-2 topping off his 14-pound, two-ounce five-fishing stringer, but he was fishing nightcrawlers in Chris' Pond. Sean Hart, San Dimas, landed five trout for 13 1/2 pounds, including yet another 5-2, fishing rainbow PowerBait at the Bubble Hole. Scott Nakata, Garden Grove, fished green PowerBait to catch rainbows at 7-3 and 5-2 in Chris Pond. The top baits have been a variety of colors of PowerBait and other dough baits, and rolling the dough in Hatchery Dust has been enhancing the action. Power Mice Tails have also been a hot bait fished normally or wacky-rigged.

The hefty weekly plants of rainbows are continuing, and there will be 24-hour fishing this coming Friday and Saturday nights (April 26 and 27) during the full moon.

Santa Ana River Lakes is open seven-days-a-week. Fishing is 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 passes is $25. Seniors pay only $23 with a $20 special on Wednesdays. All of these passes have a five-fish limit. For kids 4 to 13, a three-fish pass is just $12. There are 24-hour passes offered on Friday and Saturday night on weekends nearest the full moon each month for $75. An angler can bring his or her spouse and three kids 17 years or younger on that $75 permit, and all can help catch the 15-fish limit. Camping at SARL is thrown in for free.