Last week's huge stocking of catfish paid off big-time for anglers at Irvine Lake, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The catfish bite was absolutely wide-open after the multiple truckloads of big channel catfish we put into the lake last week", observed Getty. "We are seeing massive, heavy stringers of catfish. It's been amazing fishing!" Getty added, "Our official catfish season opener and the beginning of night hours will start up on June 7, and we will stock thousands of pounds of additional catfish just before the opener. On May 24, 25, and 26, lake admission will be only $15. On Saturday May 25 we will be holding both a 'free' Crappie Classic tournament, and also a Team Trout Tournament with a $25 entry fee."

The excellent action has also been simple, with the majority of catfish catches coming from Boat Dock Cove, although as the week progressed, the fish spread out a little and were caught in several different areas. Flylined mackerel was the top producer, although more exotic baits like bonito and even pike mackerel, along with strong scents like Bite-On Cajun also getting plenty of fish.

Bass anglers found excellent action on 2 to 4-pound largemouth using a variety of techniques. Good numbers of bass were caught on dropshot-rigged plastics, jigs, and reaction baits. Top locations were the Red Clay Cliffs and Sierra Cove. No anglers reported trying for trout, although deep water tactics should score plenty of nice rainbows well into next month. Neither were there anglers putting any effort toward crappie.

There were also no anglers in the Kids Lagoon, but the Lagoon will be stocked with 1 to 4-pound catfish just prior to the official season opener.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Ken Heaton of Santa Ana, 12-4 channel catfish on mackerel at Sierra Cove
Phil Hildebrandt of Garden Grove, 11-6 channel catfish on bonito at Boat Dock Cove
Randall Rowles of Garden Grove, 11-3 and 10-2 channel catfish on shrimp at Woody's Cove
Scott Nakata of Gardena, 10-4 channel catfish on shrimp at Boat Dock Cove
Jason Mullen of Orange, 3-8 largemouth bass [released] on a spinnerbait at the west shore
Josh Marcellous and Danny Rodriguez of Lakewood, 17-catfiosh stringer totaling 115 pounds on pike mackerel at Boat Dock Cove
Danny Pinel and Rob Ferrira of San Pedro, 15-catfish stringer totaling 110 pounds, on mackerel at Boat Dock Cove
Leo Rivera, Aaron Garcia, 7-year old Stevie Garcia, Chris Monroy of Orange, 15-catfish stringer totaling 97-3 on mackerel at Boat Dock Cove
Phil Hildbrandt and Marty Saucedo of Garden Grove, 10-catfish limit totaling 81-9, on bonito at Boat Dock Cove