IRVINE LAKE SEES 20-1 BLUE CAT RELEASED; CRAPPIE STILL ON A TEAR
Steady action on catfish, coupled with a spectacular crappie bite was on tap for Irvine Lake anglers, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The night-time crappie action was as good as it gets, as long as you had a floating lantern to set out, and a little time to allow the food chain to build up under you", observed Getty. "The big shad boils we had last week were put down somewhat by heavy pressure, but they were still happening, and fishing was really good when you got on them."

Legendary crappie fishing expert Marlon Meade hit the crappie up during daylight hours, and found similar results. "The mornings and afternoons have been great for crappie", tipped Meade. "The crappie bite best in the afternoons when there is some wind to push the shad up against the shoreline. Use a 5 to 6-foot leader with a white Atomic Tube under a bobber, and it can be just phenomenal."

Catfish anglers found good results with the usual assortment of mackerel, shrimp, Gulp! and DuMong's, with Santiago Flats, boat dock cove, and Sierra Cove the top locations. Most whiskerfish were prime "eating-size" 2 to 6-pounders, but some larger fish topped by a 20-plus pound blue cat meant that every nibble was a potential trophy.

Night-time crappie chasers absolutely had to bring a floating lantern. Setting the light out at about 8:00 PM, then waiting for about an hour for the minnows to arrive usually meant easy limits of 1-pound average slabsides using white Berkley Atomic Tubes or the new 1-inch Gulp! Minnows.

Bass numbers were bordering on the ridiculous, although the largemouth were ranging a pedestrian 1 to 4 pounds. Reports of releasing up to 50 bass per boat reflected the quality of the action. Bass were spread out from zero to 20-foot depths, hitting a little less on last week's reaction baits, and a little more on dropshot-rigged plastics.

Anglers wishing to bag a mess of bluegill and redear can easily do so in the shallows using mealworms or waxworms. Action on stocker-size catfish in the Kids Lagoon was only fair despite the disappearance of the algae bloom.

The main lake water level is dropping slowly, with the surface temperature at 79 degrees. Main lake underwater visibility is very good, ranging from 5 to 10 feet. There is currently no daily bag limit on trout. A 10-minute zebra mussel inspection is required for all private boats being launched.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:

- Donovan "Catfish Slim" Swann of Fontana, 5-catfish limit totaling 38 pounds, topped by a 20-1 blue catfish [released] on mackerel at the flats
- Marty Saucedo of Costa Mesa, 10-8 catfish on mackerel at Sierra Cove
- Dave and Martin Finkelstein of Anaheim, 10-crappie limit totaling 15 pounds on Atomic Tubes at the flats