Excellent Irvine Lake trouting topped by 9-14 rainbow
Excellent trout fishing was again the story at Irvine Lake this week, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The trolling bite is just phenomenal, you can't keep 'em off the lures", observed Getty. "We are seeing well over 100 trout limits a day, and are selling lots of second-limit passes and even a good number of third-limit passes. The bite in the Kids Lagoon is also wide-open on just about any small lure. One 8-year old youngster even caught his first-ever fish in the Lagoon while using a bare hook!"

Getty added, "We will be closed on Thanksgiving Day so that our staff can spend the day with their families, but we will be open regular hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the holiday weekend."

Most trout filling up the limits are in the 1 to 3 pound category, but a nice mixture of 4 to 9-pounders are spicing up the stringers. Good catches were reported from Trout Island, the west shore, boat dock cove, mid-lake and near the dam.

Trollers scored better than bait dunkers, but both techniques produced plenty of fish. The "natural" Power Mouse was the best bait choice, made with a white Gulp! Salmon Egg and a nightcrawler. Almost any good trolling lure nailed the fish, with firetiger CD05 Rapalas, or hot pink in the SC Shiner or XR06 X-Rap being the top choices.

A few bass anglers ventured out during mid-week, tallying up a bout a dozen releases for a few hours effort. The largemouth ranged up to 3 pounds in size, and were hitting dropshot baits and ripbaits at the red clay cliffs and Rocky Point. Some incidental catfish to 7 pounds were brought in by trout anglers soaking nightcrawlers.

Action in the Kids Lagoon is very good on Power Bait and small lures, for families with children age 12 and under. Formal recognition as a new lake record was granted to the 49.6 pound sturgeon caught by Ronson Smothers back during the final weekend of catfish season. The water level in the main lake is dropping slowly, with a surface water temperature in the low 60's.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included;

- Richard Natividad of Baldwin Park, 9-14 trout on Pautzke's Eggs at Trout Island
- Sam Smith of Lake Forest, 9-10 trout on a Roostertail at the dam
- Richard Fish of Mission Viejo, 9-8 trout on Norman crankbait at mid-lake
- Michelle Farnsworth of Diamond Bar, 9-0 trout on a nightcrawler at the flats
- Travis Peterson of Huntington Beach, 7-4 trout on a Rapala near the dam
- 8-year old Brendan Sam of Anaheim, first-ever trout limit on Power Bait at the Lagoon