Anglers heading to Irvine Lake throughout the holiday week found the trout in an exceptionally festive mood, reported general manager Dave Noyes. "The beautiful weather really made the good trout bite a lot of fun for the people who decided against going to the crowded shopping malls", observed Noyes. "We had a lot of nice rainbows averaging about 2 pounds, along with some bigger 'bows and a few exotics mixed in."

Noyes added, "We will be open regular hours on New Year's Eve; with the gate closing for campers at 6:30 PM. Regular hours will also be in effect on New Year's Day, and it's always fun to see who catches the first fish of the New Year!"

Most trout on the stringers were quality-grade rainbows in the 2 to 5-pound category, with a few bigger specimens around. A handful of exotic brook trout, brown trout, and steelhead have also added a little color.

Bait dunkers checked in good catches from Boat Dock Cove, the west shore, and the south shore. Trollers did better than bait anglers, and scored at mid-lake and Santiago Flats.

Favored baits included Berkley Mice Tails and Gulp! Pinched Crawlers, often in combination with a Gulp! Floating Salmon Egg of a contrasting color. Variable water clarity meant that light 2-pound test leaders were more productive than heavier tests.

Some anglers stayed with mini-plastics and did very well. A Dropshot or splitshot-rigged chartreuse or pink Power Trout Worm was a good choice, along with chartreuse/orange Atomic Teasers. Again, rigging on 2-pound line improved results markedly.

Trollers dragged firetiger-color Rapala Countdown CD05's, along with red/chartreuse Rapala Ultralight Shad ULS04's and hot pink X-Rap XR04's. The key to trolling success was moving in exaggerated S-turns, which keeps the lure out of the boat's wake much of the time, as well as changing speeds.

Bass anglers skilled in deep water presentations found fair numbers of 2 to 4-pound largemouth at the Red Clay Cliffs and Rocky Point. Best choices were jigs and dropshot-rigged plastics. No hybrid striped bass or catfish were checked in this week.

Families with children age 12 and under found good numbers of 1 to 3-pound trout in the freshly-stocked Kids Lagoon. The "Kids Tagged Fish Derby" in the Lagoon will run through January 2.