Irvine Lake trouting topped by 10-6 rainbows; catch of 16-4 flathead catfish shocks anglers
Good trout action at Irvine Lake over most of the long holiday weekend was highlighted by the "first-ever" catch of a flathead catfish from the impoundment, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "We figure that flathead catfish came in with the Colorado River water that we buy", observed Getty. "Flatheads are a pretty common species in the lower Colorado, and the 16-4 fish was caught by a bass angler tossing a pig-n-jig."

Getty added, "Trout fishing stayed good despite heavy crowds over the holiday, up until Sunday when gusty winds up to 50 mph knocked the bite down. Trollers still did best most days, with one boat reporting a pair of triple trolling hookups on Friday back in the flats. Hot Pink is definitely the hot color for trolling lures this week."

Irvine Lake Pro-Staffer Bob Halal offered some expert recommendations for maximum success with Power Bait. "The pre-dawn bite often finds success with white Power Bait", said Halal. "The ability to 'customize' the balance of vibrant colors also makes rainbow a good color choice. So far this season, garlic Power Bait has been the most successful all-around bait. I prefer nothing smaller than a size 16 treble hook, as long as a piece of bait no bigger than a dime can float the hook."

Halal continued, "Use the lightest sliding sinker you can get away with; from one-eighth to no more than one-quarter ounce. Leaders should be 18 to 24 inches and made of fresh 2-pound test. As the sun burns brighter during the day, you'll want to shorten your leader a bit. Heavy rain runoff can bring the leader length down to 8 inches or less."

Most of the trout this week were in the 1 to 4-pound category, with a few nice fish from 4 to 10 pounds keeping things interesting. Some quality brown trout and brook trout to 4 pounds are also showing on the stringers. Productive locations included Trout Island, Santiago Flats, boat dock cove, the west shore, and near the dam.

Bass anglers reported good numbers of 1 to 3-pound largemouth, mostly on jigs fished at 15 to 30 feet off Rocky Point and the red clay cliffs. Besides the big flathead, a fair number of 2 to 6-pound channel catfish are being caught incidentally by trout anglers soaking nightcrawlers.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:

- Adam Pombrello of Huntington Beach, 16-4 flathead catfish [released] on a pig-n-jig at the flats
- Kevin Slape of Huntington Beach, 10-6 rainbow trout on a Mira Shad near the dam
- Mario Rodarte of Anaheim, 10-6 rainbow trout on a Phoebe at the west shore
- Bobbi Hotinger of Orange, 7-6 rainbow trout on a Rapala at mid-lake
- Mike Hammer of Irvine, 7-6 rainbow trout on a Power Mouse at Trout Island
- Tim Healy of Newport Beach, 4-1 brown trout on a Thomas Buoyant at Woody's Cove