Desire for a Late Snack Costs Lunker Catfish

With cooler days and nights, Southland catfish will soon disappear into the depths and remain there in a state of sluggishness for the winter.

But some are apparently trying to fill up first. As a result, some are hanging from a chain.

The largest, a 55-pound hybrid channel-blue catfish, was more fortunate, being caught and released at Irvine Lake by Ken Schenewark of Long Beach. Schenewark outdid his brother, Damian, who a week earlier had caught and released a 48-pounder.

Another giant catfish wasn’t as lucky.

Hubert Dawson Jr. of Riverside pulled a 50-pounder from Corona Lake, breaking the lake record by 10 pounds, and filled a lopsided stringer of five fish totaling 66.7 pounds.