IRVINE LAKE SEES 17-6 CATFISH TOP CATCHES; NIGHT FISHING SESSIONS START THIS WEEKEND
The prospects for the season's first night-fishing session at Irvine Lake on Friday night June 12 are looking very good, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The catfish bite is very good on fish from 2 to 17 pounds. The cats are hitting on mackerel and shrimp in all of the usual spots from 0 to 20 feet deep. We've been seeing a lot of catfish limits around boat dock cove."

Starting on Friday June 12, Irvine Lake will be open until 2:00 AM on Friday and Saturday nights, and until 11:00 PM on Thursday nights for the rest of the summer. This will allow anglers to be on the lake for Irvine's legendary "night bites" on both catfish and crappie. There will also be a special $5 discount if entering the lake after 5:00 PM on Thursdays. Some 10,000 pounds of catfish were planted this week to supplement the lake's already substantial population of whiskerfish.

For anglers skilled at deep-water trout fishing techniques, last weekend's "no limit" trout derby saw some phenomenal stringers of rainbows brought in. Several bulging stringers of 15 to 25 trout were weighed in. Best bet was dragging 5 colors of leadcore line with a #2 Luhr Jensen needlefish in cop-car and bikini colors, or a clown-color XR6 Rapala X-Rap.

Some crappie are being caught incidentally by trout trollers, and by anglers targeting them by drifting with white Atomic Tubes. Bluegill action is steady on mealworms and waxworms.

Bass fishing is still very good on largemouth up to 4 pounds, and as many as 15 fish released for just a few hours' effort. Best depths are 5 to 25 feet, with dropshot-rigged plastics the top enticer.

The Kids Lagoon is kicking out very good numbers of catfish for families with children age 12 and under, and will be re-stocked with catfish again this week. Surface water temperature in the main lake is 75 degrees, and the lake level is holding steady.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:

Paul Mitzer of Riverside, 17-6 and 10-2 catfish on mackerel at the flats