Plenty of several species of trout, along with a smattering of other species made the New Year at Irvine Lake a happy one, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The trout bite has been very good for people in the right area", observed Getty. "Anyone not catching fish is not paying attention. Trolling is excellent, and they are doing best along the west shoreline, near the dam, near the cliffs, and at mid-lake. There are tons of shad schools stacked up in 40 feet of water near the cliffs. Bait fishing is best at Boat Dock Cove and Santiago Flats.

"A lot of big trout were weighed in this week, and we also had a good little snap on the exotics. Some beautiful brown trout mixed in on the stringers, and a couple of very nice steelhead including an 11-2." Getty added, "We had the very first 'double limit' of 10 trout for 2012 checked in at only 7:30 AM on New Year's Day. It was caught by Dr. Morgan Lewis of Yorba Linda, who was also celebrating his sixty-third birthday. He said it was 'wide open' at the Red Clay Cliffs trolling with a Flicker Shad."

Other top trolling choices included firetiger-color Rapala Countdown CD05's, pink SC Shiners, and red/chartreuse X-Rap Shad XR06's. Favored bait choices included rainbow garlic PowerBait, chartreuse Gulp!, and Hatchery Pellet. Leader lengths varied from 12 to 18 inches, with murkier water dictating shorter leaders. The "old school" nightcrawler/bobber trick also scored some very nice fish.

The few bass anglers who ventured out found a very good "winter bite" happening. Largemouth from 2 to 5-pounds could be found at 10 to 40 feet, with the deeper fish being the better biters. Rocky Point and the Red Clay Cliffs were the hotspots, and dropshot-rigged plastics and jigs were the top producers. Working the edges of suspended shad schools also yielded some 5 to 8-pound hybrid striped bass.

Families with children age 12 and under found modest success in the Kids Lagoon, with very short 6-inch leaders being the key to getting bites. Surface temperature on the main lake was 51 to 55 degrees, with the water level holding steady. Underwater clarity was variable, ranging from 1 to 10 feet.