COUNTDOWN IS ON TO CATFISH OPENER ON JUNE 7
Irvine Lake anglers will find that there will be a special discounted admission of only $15 this Memorial Day holiday weekend, May 24, 25, and 26, along with separate crappie and trout tournaments.

Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop reported, "We are really looking forward to our catfish season opener on June 7. The catfish we stocked earlier in the month have pretty much dispersed throughout the lake. Anglers who know how to fish deep for trout are still doing very well on nice 2 to 4-pound rainbows at 25 feet or deeper, and the bass fishing is still very, very good."

Getty added, "We will plant another 10,000 pounds of catfish just before our June 7 season opener, and night-fishing hours will also start on that night. After that we will stock thousands of pounds of catfish every week all summer long, and we will also plant catfish in the Kids Lagoon for the opener."

Trout anglers reported surprising numbers of 2 to 4-pound rainbows on deep-drifted baits like nightcrawlers and PowerBait on 6-foot leaders, along with lures trolled on leadcore line or downriggers. The magic depth for trout has been 25 to 40 feet. Catfish anglers did best on flylined mackerel or shrimp with strong scents like Bite-On added. Some channel catfish were checked in from Boat Dock Cove, mid-lake, and Santiago Flats.

Bass anglers found very good numbers of 2 to 5-pound largemouth on a variety of techniques. Bassers reported that the fish hit best on dropshot-rigged plastics and jigs, with the Red Clay Cliffs and Rocky Point the best locations. Anglers are reminded that all bass species are catch and release only at Irvine Lake.

No anglers fished the Kids Lagoon this week, but stocker-size channel catfish will be planted before the season opener. Surface temperature on the main lake is 72 degrees, with underwater clarity rated very clear at 10 feet or more. Lake level is holding steady.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Phil Hildebrant of Garden Grove, 8-8 channel catfish on shrimp at mid-lake on 2-pound test line
C.J. Smith of Orange, 4-5 largemouth bass [released] on a dropshot worm at the cliffs