Irvine Lake trouting good; rain sparks catfish to 37 pounds into a frenzy

Water temperatures continued to drop at Irvine Lake this week, and the rainy conditions brought a special treat, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "Wherever there is water running into the lake, the catfish have been going crazy", observed Getty. "The catfish gather where the creeks flow in, to feed on whatever gets washed in. Most of them have been nice ones, running from 6 to 15 pounds, with a few bigger ones up to 37 pounds. The water temperature keeps dropping, and is 59-60 degrees throughout the lake. This really help keep the trout bite going."

Getty added, "We are very excited that our first-ever holiday boat parade will take place at 5:00 PM on Saturday night, December 13, with all of the boats taking part lit up and decorated. The parade will be part of our big holiday trout derby on December 13-14." Good trout catches were checked in from the west shore, and mid-lake. Favored baits were garlic PowerBait and nightcrawlers. Trollers stuck with tried and true firetiger-color Rapala Countdown CD05's and pink tiger Shad Rap SR04's. The mild weather kept the fish biting throughout the day.

The rain sparked a catfish frenzy, and wherever there was running water the catfish were stacked up. Most of the usual catfish techniques and baits were effective, and a new one is the use of a "slip bobber" which allows the bait to drift feely in the current. Several anglers had stringers of catfish that weighed 30 pounds or more.

Bass anglers did well on mostly 2 to 4-pound largemouth using a variety of techniques. Dropshot-rigged plastics on deep hard structure, plus some fish on reaction baits up shallow. Lunker hunters were present, tossing big swimbaits but keeping mum about results. Families with children age 12 and under did well on 1-3 pound trout in the Kids Lagoon. Surface temperature on the main lake is 59 degrees, with the lake level rising about 6 inches per week. Launching conditions are good, with underwater visibility rated mixed. During rainy periods, the lakeside roads may require up to 24 hours to dry out; call ahead for road conditions. The lake will be closed on Christmas Day, and open on New Year's Day.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Veronica Anderson of Corona, 4-12 rainbow trout on an SC Shiner at the west shore
Serop Karchiakayn of Burbank, 4-4 brown trout on a Kastmaster at the west shore
Dahnte Allison of Pacoima, 37-1 blue catfish [released] on mackerel at Rocky Point
Jerry Garcia of Los Angeles, 15-7 channel catfish on mackerel at Rocky Point
Chris Hagopian of Redondo Beach, 12-8 channel catfish on mackerel at Rocky Point
Jeremy Evans of Rancho Santa margarita, 5-4 largemouth bass [released] on a swimbait at the west shore


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