Good action and beautiful weather continued for Irvine Lake anglers as the clock ticks down to the closing date of Feb 28, reported lake regular Terry “Pontoon” Lairson. “I saw an area where I saw sturgeon cruising so I went against the grain and targeted them”, observed Lairson. “No luck on the sturgeon but the bass seemed to be moving into spawning mode and they were so aggressive they were picking nightcrawlers off the bottom.”

Lairson continued, “Lots of bass were caught and released throughout the weekend. The catfish bite seemed to pick up late in the afternoon. I saw Art Boyamian bring a solid 8lb channel cat in in very shallow water. It's a late bite for the cats but the bass seemed to be biting very aggressively all day.”

Carp fishing expert Luis Montez of Orange was at it again, using his custom European-style carp boilies for bait. Montez hooked several very large specimens, losing one estimated at over 40 pounds. Montez holds the lake record for carp at a whopping 45 pounds, lending strong credence to his estimates.

Families with children age 12 and under found fair numbers of 1-3 pound catfish in the Kids Lagoon. Daily limit in the Kids Lagoon is 3 fish, but the main lake is currently offering “no limit” fishing on catfish and trout. Last day of fishing is Feb. 28, and a 50-percent off everything in the Pro Shop sale is currently underway. Anglers are reminded that no watercraft are permitted. Operating hours are Wednesdays through Sundays, 6 AM to 4 PM, and closed on Mondays & Tuesdays.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included;

Luis Montez of Orange, 16-0 carp [released] on boilies at the west shore
Chuck Acquistapace of Sylmar, 10-3 largemouth bass [released] on a creature bait at the west shore
Art Boyamin of Los Angeles, 8-2 channel catfish on nightcrawlers at the west shore