Change your bait for Irvine Lake catfish to 19 pounds
The continuing good catfish action at Irvine Lake saw resourceful anglers changing their tactics a bit, according to Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. The catfish bite is still really good, you just need to change it up a little", remarked Getty. "If you are sitting in one spot without a bite for 45 minutes, make a move. If you are using mackerel and not getting any bites, change to shrimp, or something else."

Despite Getty's instructions, most catfish are still being caught on mackerel, with shrimp, Gulp! and DuMong's also scoring on whiskerfish. Most of the cats are in the 2 to 6-pound category, but some larger fish are definitely around.

Legendary crappie fishing expert Marlon Meade hit the crappie up during daylight hours, and found good results. "The mornings and afternoons have been great for crappie", tipped Meade. "The crappie bite is best in the afternoons when there is some kind of 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."

Crappie fishing is also wide-open for night-time anglers. Setting out a floating lantern is the secret for the night-bite on slabs averaging about a pound that gets going about 8:00 PM. Some trout to 3 pounds are still being caught among the crappie.

Bass fishing is still very good, with large numbers of 1 to 4-pound largemouth being caught on reaction baits and plastics. Some larger fish to 6 pounds are reportedly being caught and released, but tight-lipped bassers are not giving out any secrets.

Plenty of bluegill and redear are available in the backs of coves for anglers dunking mealworms and waxworms. Decent numbers of catfish are being caught in the Kids Lagoon by families with children age 12 and under.

Surface temperature in the main lake is 49 degrees, with underwater visibility from 5 to 10 feet. The water level is subsiding slowly.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:

Donovan "Catfish Slim" Swann of Fontana, 19-10 catfish on mackerel at the flats.
Fred Ambiguous of Costa Mesa, 10-6 catfish on mackerel at the flats