Irvine Lake catfishing topped by 22- pounder; lake receives bonus stocking of F-1 bass


Several kinds of good news were on the menu at Irvine Lake this week, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The catfish were very active" observed Getty. In order to be in the Top 10 at this weekend's Team 57/Angler Chronicles event, it took a minimum of a 6-7 catfish. We were also able to get tournament director Sergio Fainzstein to take the ALS 'ice bucket challenge', and raised quite a bit of money."

Getty added, "We were very excited last week to receive a bonus stocking of 75 Florida largemouth bass of the F-1 strain. Most such stockings consist of tiny fingerlings, but we were fortunate to obtain 1 to 3-pounders, which can spawn and improve the gene pool right away. The F-1 variety are pure Florida-strain largemouth, and are the only ones that can attain world-record size. The current largemouth in the lake are either F-2 hybrids, or northern-strain. There is a possibility that we may be able to obtain a few more. I would like to remind anglers that all bass species are strictly catch and release at Irvine Lake. "

Legendary catfish expert Ronson Smothers acted as a guide and mentor to a couple of youngsters for the tournament, including the Junior-Division winner, Aman Hayes. "We were fishing at mid-lake in 17 feet of water with mackerel bait on 8/0 octopus circle hooks and 30-pound line with 50-pound leaders.", related Smothers. "Aman hooked up first, with what we at first estimated to be a 5-8 pounder. He kept begging for help, but got none, as I told him he could do it himself. After several minutes we saw why he had been begging for help when we netted a huge 22-poiunder!"

Good catfish catches were made at mid-lake and Santiago Flats, with productive depths ranging from only 3 feet to as much as 30 feet. Bite times were similarly broad, with stringers filled all day long and into the evening hours. Favorite baits were mackerel, shrimp, and bonito.

Bass anglers found good numbers of 2 to 4-pound largemouth on dropshot-rigged baits near Rocky Point and the Red Clay Cliffs. A few larger bucketmouths to over 10 pounds were fooled by swimbaits and creature baits. Plenty of plump bluegill and redear sunfish were caught on mealworms and waxworms in shallow brushy areas.

Families with children age 12 and under found fair action in the Kids Lagoon on 1 to 3-pound catfish using marshmallow/mealworm combos. Surface temperature on the main lake was 78-80 degrees, with some algae blooming in spots, but very clear in others. The lake level is receding slowly. The 2014-15 public trout season opener will take place on Friday, October 31. Thousands of pounds of rainbows, brookies, and brown trout will be planted just prior to the opener. A special limited-entry "VIP Fishing Day" will take place on Thursday, October 30. Contact the Pro Shop for VIP Day information and reservations. Once trout season begins, the lake will be open 7 days a week.


Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included;
9-year old Aman Hayes of Los Angeles, 22-6 channel catfish on mackerel at the flats
Terry Lairson of Huntington Beach, 9-9 channel catfish on mackerel at the flats
Eddie Tillett of Lake Elsinore, 9-2 channel catfish on Bite-On at the flats
Daniel LeBouf of Villa Park, 12-0 blue catfish [released] on mackerel at the flats
Justin Emerson of Orange County, 10-7 largemouth bass [released] on a plastic crawdad at Rocky Point


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