New Irvine Lake record 22.6 pound trout highlighted by excellent bass and crappie bites

Spring is definitely in the air at Irvine Lake, and the catches this week demonstrated the multiple fish species that inhabit the Orange County impoundment. Most impressive was the massive 22.6 pound trout caught by Greg Stotesbury of Mission Viejo. The big rainbow established a new record for Irvine Lake; the previous record had stood for years at 22.55 pounds.

"Bass, crappie, and trout were all biting at a good to excellent pace this week", observed Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The largemouth bass chasers were releasing 30 bass or more per boat, depending on the anglers' skill level. Lots of crappie are also being caught, and of course the trout fishing is still good. More of those huge 20-plus pound rainbow trout and some nice 3 to 6-pound inland steelhead will be planted for the WON Tournament in April 18."

Trout fishing remains good overall, with nice catches made along the west shore, Trout Island and near the dam. Top producing PowerBait colors have included white, chartreuse and the Gulp! Trout Dough in chunky cheese. Best Power Mouse combination was a chartreuse Gulp! Egg with a natural brown Power Trout Worm trailer. Leaders from 14 to 18 inches worked best.

Stotesbury's record-breaking fish hit on spring green/yellow Berkley Turbo Dough Power Bait fished on 4-pound test Berkley 100-Percent Fluorocarbon. He was anchored in 19 feet of water near Trout Island.

Most trout were in the 1 to 5-pound range, with some nicer 6 to 8-pounders mixed in on the stringers. Several more record-class fish were stocked along with the one Stotesbury landed, so the possibility of another "big one" hitting keeps things exciting.

Largemouth in the 2 to 8 pound class are biting in many areas of the lake, with fish holding on both deep and shallow. Bass catches were made on Senkos, Ripbaits, dropshotting, jigs, and just about everything except swimbaits.

Crappie anglers found good numbers of slabs of a half-pound up to 2 pounds. The crappie were holding in the tops of flooded trees, and are hitting best on white Berkley Atomic Tubes, either with or without a meal worm trailer.

Carp are spawning in large numbers in Sierra Cove, but little fishing effort has been directed toward theme except for a few European carp specialists. Only a handful of catfish were checked in.

The Kids Lagoon has been restocked; sp plenty of fish are being picked up by families with children age 12 and under. The lake's water level is holding steady, and the warmest surface temperature was 63.5 degrees.

Anglers should also note that for the big Western Outdoor News Tournament scheduled for April 18, ALL anglers must pre-register for the tournament. This can be done either online with WON itself, or via one of the entry forms available at the lake.

ANYONE NOT PRE-REGISTERED FOR THE WESTERN OUTDOOR NEWS TOURNAMENT WILL NOT BE ADMITTED TO THE LAKE ON APRIL 18.
Besides registering for the tournament, anglers can reserve their rental boats for that date. No camping spots remain available for that date, and all pontoon boats are also taken. Plenty of regular rental boats remain available at this time, but it is recommended that anglers interested in boat rentals for the tournament make their reservations immediately.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:

- Greg Stotesbury of Mission Viejo, 22-6 rainbow trout on PowerBait at Trout Island.
- Barry Mains of Orange, 10-12 rainbow trout on an SC Shiner at the flats.
- Hunter Pitts of Orange [3-years old], 10-1 rainbow trout on a Kastmaster near the docks.
- Ricky Drew Canyon Country, 8-12 rainbow trout on a Rapala at Rocky Point.
- Eddie Herrera of Moreno Valley, 8-2 rainbow trout on PowerBait at the flats.
- Anton Mozzarini of Aliso Viejo [5-years old], 6-3 rainbow trout on a Power Mouse in the Kids Lagoon
- Caitlyn Cron of Huntington Beach, 4-6 steelhead on PowerBait at Trout Island.
- Don Spencer of Diamond Bar, 7-5 largemouth bass [released] on a flipping jig at the flats.
- Audrey Shipnovick of Laguna Hills, 5-9 largemouth bass [released] on a Senko at the flats.
- Vitali Sviridov of Hollywood, 16-2 carp on carp dough at the flats.
- James Martinez of Pico Rivera [10-years old], 3-5 channel catfish on a mini jig at the Kids Lagoon.