Holiday weekend anglers found sizzling action on big trout and steelhead, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "We had a bunch of really big fish caught this week, including four over 12 pounds in just one day", observed Getty. "The overall fishing was just spectacular, with lots and lots of trout in the 3 to 4-pound class to go along with all of the trophy-class double-digit fish, and the large number of big steelhead that were stocked this week seems to have really paid off. There are still lots of the big steelies that haven't been caught, and we also had another excellent week on the brown trout."

Getty added, "Saturday's derby winner Scott Noseworthy was fishing out of a float tube along the west shore, and had a buddy spotting for him from the cliffs above. He said that when the big trout came up, it looked like a marlin chasing and attacking the Rapala. There were also two fish caught that day that were even bigger, but unfortunately they were not caught until well after the official 2:00 PM weigh-in."

Good catches were checked in from Boat Dock Cove, the west shoreline, and Santiago Flats. Bait dunkers scored well with Gulp! Fat Trout Worms and PowerBait in a variety of colors. Best results were seen in the early AM and later in the PM, with a bit of a lull around noontime.

Trollers not surprisingly scored more of the big fish, with lunkers and heavy stringers checked in using Rapala Countdowns in the CD05 and CD03 sizes, and either firetiger or black/silver colors, along with brown trout-color Jointed Rapala J07's.. A few anglers reported that 2 to 4 colors of leadcore line were very successful, but most simply flatlined their trolling lures behind the boat. More and more trout are being caught on shad-pattern lures, as the fish seem to be keying in on the abundant baitfish.

The plethora of trout anglers this week meant that very few bass chasers hit the water, with none reporting back. The lake's hybrid striped bass and catfish populations were similarly quiet.

Families with children age 12 and under found decent numbers of 1 to 4 pound trout in the Kids Lagoon using Berkley Mice Tails in glow or red/chartreuse. Surface temperature on the main lake is in the mid-50's with the lake level receding a few inches per week. Underwater clarity ranges from 4 to 10 feet.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Frank Bin of La Crescenta, 13-14 rainbow trout on a Rapala at the flats
Edgar Sandez of Corona, 13-10 steelhead on an SC Shiner at the flats
Travis Groley of Seal Beach, 13-4 steelhead on a Rapala at the flats
Scott Noseworthy of Orange, 12-6 rainbow trout on a Rapala at the west shore
Brain Feathers of Los Angeles, 12-0 rainbow trout on a Kastmaster at mid-lake
Tim O'Leary of Wildomar, 11-4 rainbow trout on a Rapala at Sierra Cove
Steve Dimartino of Arcadia, 9-8 rainbow trout on a Rapala at mid-lake
Eaton Rosenberg of Los Angeles, 10-12 rainbow trout on a Trout King jig at the west shore
Adam Hatch of Rancho Santa Margarita, 6-4 brown trout on an SC Shiner at the flats
Chris Smith of Rancho Santa Margarita, 4-6 brown trout on a Krocodile at Boat Dock Cove