Irvine Lake yields trout to 10-14, nighttime bass tourney slated for May 10.

Good action on Irvine Lake's trout was highlighted by a smorgasbord of other species, observed Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The trout fishing is still very good. A lot of fish are being caught trolling, including leadcore line trolling. The bass fishing is wide open, and we are seeing more and more catfish every day."

Bait anglers are doing best with a 20-inch leader and Power Mouse or Power Bug combinations using white or chartreuse colors. Trollers are scoring with J05 or J07 Jointed Rapalas in brown trout and brook trout colors. As the fish move deeper in the water column, leadcore line trolled at 3 to 5 colors is improving the odds.

Trout from 1 to 5 pounds filled the stringers, with plenty of 6 and 7 pounders anchoring the weights. A few 8 to 10 pounders filled every nibble with anticipation, and some exotic brown trout and brook trout are still in the equation. Good trout catches were reported from Santiago Flats and Woody's Cove.

Bass fishing is still excellent on 2 to 4 pound largemouth. Some spawning fish are still in evidence, but most bass anglers are using 4-inch worms rigged dropshot style and 6-inch worms rigged Texas style at the flats or red clay cliffs. A few topwater and buzzbait fish have also been reported. Anglers report releasing 15 or more bass in just a couple of hours fishing effort.

Crappie fishing has backed off slightly, but good numbers of slabs to 1.5 pounds ate still being caught on Atomic Tubes and dropshot-rigged Gulp! Minnows at the flats. A few large bluegill over a pound have also been checked in, but numerous big ???gills have been sighted staging up in the back end of Santiago Flats.

More catfish were on the stringers this week as the weather warmed. Whiskerfish in the 1 to 5 pound category are hitting on nightcrawlers and DuMong's at the flats and in boat dock cove.

Trout plants have been discontinued for the season in the Lagoon, and the Lagoon will be closed to the public for an Isaac Walton event on Saturday, May 3. Catfish will be on the menu in the Kids Lagoon for families with children age 12 and under starting on Sunday, May 4.

May 10 will see Irvine Lake conduct an evening bass tournament from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The event is limited to 75 two-person teams, with an entry fee of $150 per team. Entry forms are available at the lake or Anglers Marine.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Rick Reese of Riverside, 10-14 trout on a Rapala at the red clay cliffs
George Campos of Los Angeles, 10-0 trout on Power Bait at Woody's Cove
Tony Monica of La Puente, 8-6 trout on a Kastmaster at the flats
Mits Onizuka of Irvine, 8-2 trout on a Power Mouse at the flats
Tim Morlan of Anaheim, 8-0 trout dropshotting at Woody's Cove
Andrea Forsell of Redlands, 3-10 brown trout on a Rapala at the flats