Irvine Lake trout moving deeper, catfish opener slated for June 6

The trout population at Irvine Lake is sliding deeper as water temperatures rise, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The trout fishing is still good if you know how to fish a little deeper. Very early morning is also good, and Woody's Cove gets some extra shade. A lot of fish are being caught leadcore line trolling at anything from 3 to 6 colors. The bass fishing is really good, and we are seeing lots of catfish."

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 6 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 were snapping lines and keeping things interesting, 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 good on 2 to 4 pound largemouth. 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 slowed somewhat, but good numbers of slabs to 1.5 pounds are still being caught on Atomic Tubes and dropshot-rigged Gulp! Minnows at the flats. Some large bluegill over a pound have also been checked in from the back end of Santiago Flats.

The catfish action is heating up as the weather continues to warm. Whiskerfish in the 1 to 5 pound category are hitting on nightcrawlers, shrimp and DuMong's at the flats and in boat dock cove. Irvine Lake's annual "Catfish Season Opener" will take place on June 6.

Families with children age 12 and under were doing well on catfish in the Kids Lagoon. Best baits were nightcrawlers and the marshmallow/meal worm combo.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:

John Gomez of Garden Grove: 9.8 lb rainbow with a fire-tiger lure at the Dam
Andres Campos of Santa Ana: 8.8 lb rainbow with a night-crawler at the Flats
Moises de la Torre of Carson: 8.08 lb rainbow with a power-mouse at the Flats
Brenda Salguero of Simi Valley: 8.0 lb rainbow with a night-crawler at the west shore
Jimmy Getty of Silverado: 6.0 lb rainbow on a mini-jig in Woody's Cove
Bob Hebert of Brea: 5.8 lb rainbow on a needlefish lure at the buoy line

Results from the Bass Tournament:

Chris Pappez La Verne CA: 7.10 total weight ~ big fish 1.14 (tie)
Dennis Spiki Mission Viejo CA: 7.10 total weight ~ big fish 1.14 (tie)
Steve Morvick Blue Jay CA: 7.6 total weight ~ big fish 2.0

Big fish side pot:

Carlos Cardenas: 2.14