Anglers at Irvine Lake this week again saw very good numbers of catfish and excellent numbers of bass, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. “Catfish anglers were catching stringers full of 3 to 6 pounders” observed Getty. “There was some action on catfish all day long, but of course as dusk started to fall, the bite picked up even more. Bass anglers have been finding just phenomenal action on plastics, reaction baits, and especially topwaters. There have also been some carp anglers showing up regularly, and doing pretty well targeting them with fly-fishing tackle.”

Getty added, “We had our ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ catfish event on Saturday, and it was no surprise that the lake’s catfish record holder Ronson ‘Catman’ Smothers dominated the field by getting a blue cat over 20 pounds. Really all of our warm-water species were very active this week, with lots of nice bluegill and redear sunfish caught on mealworms by anybody who tried for them.”

Good catches of catfish were checked in from mid-lake, off the west shoreline, and near the dam. Productive baits included mackerel, shrimp, bonito, and skipjack. Most of the whiskerfish were prime eating-size 3 to 6 pounders, with a few larger specimens mixed in.

Bass anglers found excellent numbers of most 2-4 pound largemouth using a variety of techniques. Topwaters were singled out as the best choice during the evening and night-time hours, and some anglers report releasing up to 40 fish in a 5-hour evening session. Some reports of schools of bass boiling on shad resulted in good catches from open-water fish on shad-replicating lures.

Families with children age 12 and under found good numbers of 1-3 pound catfish using mackerel or marshmallow/mealworm combos. Surface temperature on the main lake was 80 degrees, with the lake level dropping slowly. Underwater visibility was rated mixed from very clear to stained, with the stained areas mostly off points where wind causes stirring.

The Dan Rea Memorial/Team 57 catfish tournament event will take place on Saturday, August 22. Senior Special discounted admission of $15 is available on Mondays and Wednesdays during August.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:

Ronson Smothers of Los Angeles, 20-14 blue catfish [released] on mackerel at mid-lake
Don Didion of San Diego, 8-14 channel catfish on mackerel at mid-lake
Ricardo Zepeda of Orange, 6-1 largemouth bass [released] on a Rapala at the west shore