Catfish, catfish, and more catfish were the story this week at Irvine Lake, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The catfish are really chewing; it's been as good as it gets", observed Getty. "All the usual spots are churning out fish; Santiago Flats, Boat Dock Cove, and the west shoreline. Good baits include mackerel, shrimp, chicken livers, and the M&M combo. The bite really gets started at sundown, and keeps going until about 11:00 P.M."

Getty continued, "We had a family group that included 6 and 9-year old kids bring in a massive stringer of 12 catfish that totaled over 75 pounds. They couldn't even hold up the stringer for the photo! Most of the catfish on the cleaning tables were prime eating-size 2 to 6-pounders, with a nice sprinkling of 7 to 12-pound "holdovers."

Bass anglers continued to be somewhat secretive, but the lineup of bass boats waiting to launch told the story. Very good numbers of 2 to 7-pound largemouth were available for both daytime and evening anglers, with the release of 20 or 25 bass per day not uncommon. The daytime bite was at 15 to 25 feet, on dropshot-rigged plastics and jigs. As dusk approaches, the topwater bite starts to go off, with some anglers also throwing Texas-rigged 10-inch Power Worms. Rocky Point, the Red Clay Cliffs, and the west shoreline all yielded good bass catches.

Most angler effort was centered on either catfish or bass, so very few crappie reports were turned in. Plenty of good-size bluegill and redear were available to anglers soaking Gulp! Crickets in shallow brushy areas. Both carp and hybrid striped bass were around, but none were checked in.

Families with children age 12 and under found good action on stocker-size channel catfish, although some experimentation was needed to see if the fish wanted mackerel, shrimp, or the marshmallow/mealworm combo on any given day. Surface temperature on the main lake was 76 to 78 degrees. Underwater visibility was rated very clear from Boat Dock Cove to Sierra Cove, with Santiago Flats starting to show some cloudy areas. The lake level is dropping about 6 inches per week.

Saturday night July 7 will feature the "Independence Day Catfish Shootout" derby, which is an official "King of the Cats" qualifier event. On that Saturday July 7, the lake will remain open until 2 AM.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:

David Sherwood of Buena Park, 12-0 channel catfish on mackerel at the flats
Carlos Cabrera of Guatemala, 8-0 channel catfish on chicken livers at the flats
6-year old Adam Barry of Lomita, 7-9 channel catfish on mackerel at the flats
6-year old Michael Davis of Wildomar, 4-10 channel catfish on mackerel at the Kids Lagoon
James Getty of Silverado, 7-1 largemouth bass [released] on an OD Rat at the west shore
Sydney, Gavin, and Adam Barry of Lomita, 12 catfish stringer totaling 75-3 on mackerel at the flats