Caption:

Alberto Rotta of Lomita 13-4 lb rainbow caught on rainbow powerbait in Woody's cove.

Anglers are finding wide-open trout action at Irvine Lake, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "It's been wide-open, with some people getting limits in less than 2 hours", observed Getty. "We had several inches of rain last weekend, but since the precipitation stopped, all roads around the lake have re-opened. It takes about 24 hours with no rain for the roads to dry, so it's a good idea to call the Pro Shop [714-649-9111] for road conditions if it's been raining."

Getty added, "Besides our regular stocking, we added an extra 1,000 pounds of trophy-size trout this week. Because the weekend rain kept a lot of anglers away, there are literally tons of extra trout in the lake right now."

Trollers have done best this week, with gold/orange or bubblegum-color SC Shiners being the hot ticket. Bait dunkers have done best with the white/chroma glow Power Bait combination, followed by salmon peach.

Slightly stained water due to runoff means that bait leaders should be shortened to between 8 and 10 inches. Best clear water conditions can be found near Trout Island. Most trout filling the stringers are in the 1 to 2-pound class, with a sprinkling of larger fish spicing up the limits.

Bass anglers are still finding excellent catch-and-release action on 2 to 3-pound largemouth, with up to 25 fish per day being caught. The fish are holding at 15 to 30 feet and hitting on jigs, spoons and dropshot baits. Best spots for bassers are Rocky Point and the red clay cliffs.

The few anglers who went after catfish found limit-style action on 2 to 3-pound whiskerfish on mackerel, and numerous incidental catfish were also caught by trout anglers dunking nightcrawlers.

The Kids Lagoon was very good before the storm, with a slight stain to the water post-storm. Accordingly, best bets for Power Bait colors are chartreuse, orange, and white. The Lagoon is currently stocked with brown trout, brook trout, and rainbow trout. Kids who achieve a "Grand Slam" by catching all 3 species between December 12 and January 2 will win a raffle ticket for great prizes, and numerous tagged fish can also be redeemed for cash and prizes.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:

Albert Rotta of Lomita, 13-4 rainbow trout on Power Bait at Woody's Cove
Kevin Vasquez of Azusa, 11-2 rainbow trout on a Rapala at the flats
John Rader of Newport Beach, 3-14 brown trout on a Rapala at Woody's Cove
Don Spencer of Orange, 3-1 largemouth bass [released] on a jig at Rocky Point
5 and 7-year old Devin and Dominick of Orange, 2-6 brown trout on a Power Mouse at the Kids Lagoon