Rising water levels at Irvine Lake have closed access to the west shore road. Accordingly, a free pontoon boat shuttle service to the west shore hotspots will begin on weekends only, reported general manager Dave Noyes. "On Saturdays and Sundays only, we will send out a free pontoon shuttle from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The shuttle will run every hour on the hour, and will be a great way to get over to some of the better west shore spots without a boat."

Good catches of trout in the 2 to 8-pound class were reported, despite a rainstorm on Friday night that muddied the water somewhat, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "Although none of the flash floods that were predicted by the TV stations materialized, shorter bait leaders in the 12-inch range were best", observed Getty. "The anglers who did best were the ones who took the new shuttle over to the far west shore."

Best baits were white Power Bait, or a Power Mouse mad with a white Gulp! Salmon Egg. Trollers did best with CD-03 or CD-05 Rapalas in firetiger or orange colors. Productive areas included the west shore, Trout Island, red clay cliffs and Sierra Cove.

Plenty of incidental catfish to 6 pounds are being caught by trouters offering nightcrawlers. Very good bass action on 3 to 5-pound largemouth is being seen by anglers using jigs at the red clay cliffs and in newly-flooded brush, although secretive bass chasers rarely reveal the exact details of their success.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Brandon Clark of Fountain Valley, 9.14 pound trout on nightcrawlers at Sierra Cove
Johny Towle of Irvine, 8.1 pound trout on nightcrawlers at Trout Island
Tim Morlan of Santa Margarita, 8.0 pound trout on a Power Mouse at the west shore
Bob Nordstrom of Fullerton, 5-trout limit totaling 21.34 pounds on Power Bait at Sierra Cove