The Irvine Lake Kids Lagoon has been stocked with a "bonus shot" of brown trout and brook trout, as part of the DFG's "Grand Slam" awards program. The awards are in conjunction with the department's "Passport" activities.

This will present a great opportunity for kids age 12 and under to qualify for a "Coldwater Grand Slam", with an angler catching 3 different species of trout. Additionally, plenty of brown trout and brook trout are also present in the main lake, so that adults can have a shot at a Grand Slam as well.

Lots of great prizes worth up to $500 will be awarded by the DFG at the program's end on December 31. This weekend, 6 lucky youngsters scored the Grand Slam in the Lagoon, but the DFG had not received any other entries in the Junior Division from around the state. All rules and entry forms for the program are available at the Irvine Lake Pro Shop.

As for this week's action, the trout bite continues to be excellent, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The main lake is doing very well. One pair of anglers went out and caught 7 nice fish in less than 30 minutes at Santiago Flats" remarked Getty. "Bait fishing is still out-producing trolling by at least 4 to 1. The Kids Lagoon has also been wide-open for the kids age 12 and under."

Large trout continue to show on the stringers, with plenty of 2 to 7-pounders being spiced up by trophies in the 8 to 12-pound class. Just about every area of the lake is holding fish, including Trout Island, the west shore, Sierra Cove, Rocky Point, the dam and Santiago Flats.

The most productive bait has been various constructions of the Power Mouse, with the most popular being a Gulp! Salmon Egg in combination with a half-nightcrawler. The water has cleared slightly, with 12 to 16 inches being the best leader length.

The few hardy bass anglers who have ventured out have found excellent action on largemouth in the 2 to 5-pound class at depths of anywhere from 5 to 45 feet. Jigs fished deep on the rockpiles of Santiago Flats have been best, but several larger-grade fish have been caught very shallow by flipping up in the freshly flooded brushpiles.

Several reports of monster sturgeon in the 150 to 250 pound class cruising the shoreline have been reported. Anglers are reminded that these huge fish are the lakes' strictly-protected "mascots", and are not to be harassed in any way.

Vehicle access to the west shore road is extremely limited, so anglers wishing to get to the best sports along the west shore without a long hike on foot can take the free hourly shuttle on Saturdays and Sundays only from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The water level is holding steady.

Irvine Lake will be open "normal hours" [6:00 AM to 4:00 PM] for fishing on New Years' even [Dec. 31] and New Years' Day [Jan. 1].

Young anglers achieving the DFG's "Junior Coldwater Grand Slam Award" included:
Obed Reyes
Xavier Mance
Daniel Medina
Alexis Silva
Karen Kadota

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Daniel Ganoe of Huntington Beach, 12.4 pound trout on nightcrawlers/garlic dip at Trout Island
Art Villa of El Modena, 12.3 pound trout on a Power Mouse at Trout Island
Devin Dunn of Garden Grove, 10.4 pound trout on a Power Mouse at Trout Island
Eric Manuna of La Puenta, 9.4 pound trout on a Thomas Buoyant at Trout Island
Omar Banks of Moreno Valley, 9.0 pound trout on a Power Mouse at Trout Island
Ignacio Muniz of Panorama City, 8.8 pound trout on Power Bait at the west shore
Shawn Mkrtychyan of Hollywood, 8.0 pound trout on Power Bait at Trout Island