It looked like the arrival of summer at Irvine Lake this week, with the trout action finally backing off due to warm temperatures. The catfish continue to really bite well, despite the fact that catfish stocking for this season won't get underway for another week.

Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop reported, "Even though our official catfish season opener is not until June 8, the catfish bite for our large holdover channel cat population has been really good. With the weather warming up, the trout are running fairly deep. On Saturday June 2 only, we will have 'no limit' trout fishing."

Getty added, "The catfish are holding up tight in the brush at 5 to 15 feet and biting on flylined mackerel. Some clumps of brush are holding big numbers of fish, while others are not. Be sure to use at least 50-pound braid to yank them clean out."

Trouters found some 2 and 3-pound rainbows along the west shore and the flats at the 20-foot level and deeper, but had to work for them. Soaking all the usual baits like PowerBait or nightcrawlers either with a sinker rig or even a target-depth slip bobber has worked for those who want to just sit and wait for a school. Trollers have been dropping down with either 4 to 6 colors of leadcore line or downriggers, and dragging brown trout-color Rapala Jointed J05's or cop-car color Luhr Jensen Needlefish.

Bass anglers are still finding very good action on their quarry, but are a little more reluctant to talk about it. Top tactics for 2 to 5-pound largemouth have been jigs, dropshotting, and dartheading, although some opportunities at bigger fish may pop up on 10-inch Power Worms. A few shad schools had some wipers boiling on them briefly, possibly giving a hint about more activity soon to come.

Crappie anglers are finding the slabs in a minor post-spawn funk, with results at the annual Crappie Classic tournament only fair at best, with winner Danny Pinell of Long Beach topping the field. The fish being caught are nice ones of about a pound. Successful strategy has been drifting white Atomic Tubes at 15 feet over 20 feet of water. Lots of smallish bluegill are biting on mealworms in the brush.

Families with children age 12 and under found decent numbers of carp and catfish in the Kids Lagoon. Surface temperature on the main lake is ranging from 72 to 74 degrees. Underwater visibility is rated gin clear, except occasional wind-stirred chalkiness at Santiago Flats.

The 2012 catfish season opener is slated for Friday June 8; thousands of pounds of 2 to 8-pound channel cats will be planted prior to the event, and the lake will remain open until midnight. Saturday night June 9 will be the "King of the Cats" tournament event, and the lake will remain open until 2 AM. After that, the lake will be open until 11 PM on Thursdays, until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and until 4 PM on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and closed on Tuesdays.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Daniela Gavaldon of Silverado, 6-8 channel catfish on mackerel at Boat Dock Cove
Don Spencer of Anaheim, 4-9 largemouth bass [released] on a darthead at the west shore
Phil Hildebrandt of Anaheim, 1-8 bluegill on a mini jig at the flats