Good numbers of trout both before and after the big Sport Chalet tournament event were the story this week at Irvine Lake, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "We had lots of very nice trout in the 2 to 4-pound class", observed Getty. "Interestingly, the largest fish of the week was weighed in just about an hour after the tournament was over!"

The Sport Chalet Tournament hosted 352 happy anglers on Saturday. Tournament Director Jeff Ingram of Berkley/Pure Fishing reported:

"What a difference a year, or in this case two years, makes! The 11th Annual Sport Chalet Trout Tournament welcomed anglers with heavy fog instead of pouring rain as they started checking in at 5AM and hit the water an hour later. The fog eventually cleared resulting in a beautiful day and a record number of anglers for an Irvine Lake tournament. Southern California's passion for trout fishing was readily apparent as 352 men, women and children showed up for Sport Chalet's annual event. According to Irvine Lake General Manager Daniela Gavaldon, this was the largest number of anglers for a tournament and it beat the previous Sport Chalet record by over 100 anglers! This great event continues to attract anglers from all over the Southland and from as far away as Las Vegas. While the improved weather was appreciated by all, fishing proved to be a challenge at the start. Berkley and Irvine Lake trout pro Marlon Meade called it correctly when he said the bite would pick up with a breeze to get the fish moving and feeding. Sure enough the majority of bites came after the fog lifted and a slight breeze rippled the lake surface. Of course the early conditions didn't deter the boaters, float tubers, kayakers and shore fisherman from covering the entire lake even with the limited visibility. While trolling is usually a very productive method using Berkley Flicker Shads and Rapala lures, it was bait that made the difference for this year's lucky anglers. For those that weighed in fish the most productive baits were Berkley PowerBait Trout Dough, Berkley PowerBait Mice Tails, SC Shiners, new Berkley Gulp! and Gulp Alive! 1" Pinched Crawlers, and nightcrawlers.

The lake was stocked three times in the week leading up to the event, including plenty of trout in the 5 lb. to 10 lb. range. When the weigh in closed at 2PM seventy four lucky anglers had brought their largest fish to the scales. The early conditions showed their impact with only a handful of limits but fortunately they included some good size trout and a large number in the 4 lb. to 5 lb. class.

Thanks to Sport Chalet and Berkley all fees collected for the tournament are paid back to the winning anglers. This year over $7,000 was paid out to the top ten anglers with the biggest fish. It came as no surprise when an Irvine Lake regular and the 2012 Masters Champion weighed in early with the winning trout. Congratulations to all who participated and to this year's winners!

1st Place and $2,465 went to Anthony Aguilar of Azusa with a 5lb. 2oz. trout caught on a Berkley PowerBait Mice Tail.
2nd Place - $1,200 Wendell Chen of Lompoc, 5 lbs. 1 oz. on Berkley PowerBait Trout Dough;
3rd Place - $845 Adam Cervantes of Placentia, 5lbs. 0oz. on a mini jig;
4th Place - $635 Frank Bin of La Crescenta, 4lbs. 7oz.;
5th Place - $495 Robert Fischer of San Clemente, 4lbs. 7oz.;
6th Place - $420 Brian Anderson of Corona (2011 1st place winner), 4lbs. 6oz.;
7th Place - $350 Timothy Meyer of Orange, 4 lbs. 6 oz.;
8th Place - $280 Tramel Kerl of Los Angeles, 4lbs. 4oz.;
9th Place - $210 Ben A. of Costa Mesa, 4lbs. 3oz.;
10th Place - $140 Jeff Sellers of Huntington Beach, 4lbs. 1oz.

The awards ceremony was immediately followed by the raffle and thanks to Sport Chalet and Berkley over 200 prizes were given away. For the 3rd year in a row everyone who stayed for the raffle went home with a gift. Prizes included fishing rods and reels, line, bait, tackle, tackle bags, sunglasses, camping stoves, camp chairs, drinking bottles and other great items. Thank you to Berkley, Coleman, Abu Garcia, Fenwick, Mitchell, Shakespeare, Typhoon sunglasses and Sigg bottles for their generous donations.

We owe a special thanks to Daniela, Jimmy and the rest of the Irvine Lake staff for keeping everyone safe and happy. They work hard to make this event a success every year and it just keeps getting better. Also, thank you to Berkley Pro Marlon Meade, his Irvine Lake Pro Team, Berkley Ambassadors Dan D'Amato and Joe and Dawn Davis, and the Brea Sport Chalet's team for their invaluable help. Finally, huge thanks to all the dedicated anglers who continue to make this tournament a great success. We look forward to seeing you next year when we celebrate our 12th Annual Sport Chalet Trout Tournament!"

In non-tournament action, bass anglers are finding that no spawning has occurred yet, but the fish are definitely pairing up in anticipation. Consistent sight-fishing opportunities should materialize soon, as well as reaction bait and swimbait opportunities. Some 2 to 4-pound largemouth are also still holding on hard structure at 15 to 25 feet, and are hitting on dropshot-rigged plastics along the Red Clay Cliffs and Rocky Point.

Families with children age 12 and under did well on 1 to 3-pound trout in the Kids Lagoon on chartreuse Gulp! Pinched Crawlers in the 1-inch size, on a 6-inch leader. Surface temperature on the main lake is 59-61 degrees, with underwater visibility rated at 10 feet or more. The lake level is holding steady.

Outstanding non-tournament catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:

Adam Cervantes of Placentia, 5-8 rainbow trout on a Power Minnow at Boat Dock Cove
10-year old Nyla "Kitten" Smothers of Los Angeles, 2-8 rainbow trout on a Flickershad at the flats