IRVINE LAKE MULTI-SPECIES BITE "AS GOOD AS IT GETS" Special $12 "March Madness" admission on Mondays and Tuesdays during March

The multi-species action was excellent at Irvine Lake again this week, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The overall bite was about as good as it gets", remarked Getty. "There has been an amazingly good bass bite happening, good numbers of catfish for anybody who tried for them, and of course several different kinds of trout all running around together. We even had Wes Wright of Anaheim score an Irvine Lake Trout Grand slam out of his float tube, by catching a Nebraska Tailwalker, a brown trout, a Sierra Snow trout, and two Calaveras rainbows to fill out his limit."

Getty added, "We will receive another stocking of those beautiful Nebraska Tailwalkers this week, just in time for our big Berkley Cup tournament event on March 28. To celebrate 'March Madness', we will have $12 admission on Mondays and Tuesdays during March."

Bass anglers found the fish in all stages of the spawn, including pre-spawn, post-spawn, and bedding fish. Good catches were made on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and a variety of plastics, with Flukes fished over submerged grass beds a particularly hot pattern. Most of the largemouth were in the 2 to 4-pound class, with a good mixture of 5's and 6's coming up. Top spots were Sierra Cove, Rocky Point, and anywhere there is submerged vegetation. Overall, trouters did well flatline trolling with Rapalas at mid-lake, and soaking PowerBait or nightcrawlers along the west shoreline. The brown trout and Nebraska Tailwalkers responded best to baitfish-imitating lures, while the Calaveras rainbows preferred bait on 2-pound test leaders. The unique-looking "Sierra Snow" trout are not albinos or hybrids, but are a distinct white-phase of rainbow trout.

Catfish anglers found 3 to 8-pound whiskerfish at Rocky Point on mackerel and shrimp. Bluegill and redear sunfish were available on mealworms and waxworms near the docks, and some crappie were caught incidentally by trout anglers using mini jigs.

The Kids Lagoon hosted an Izaak Walton league private-party event on Saturday, with over 190 kids having a great time while catching a lot of fish, and on Sunday families with children age 12 and under caught mostly 1-4 pound trout in the Lagoon on PowerBait. Surface temperature on the main lake was 64-66 degrees, with underwater visibility averaging 6-8 feet, depending on wind conditions. The lake level is rising slowly, and the inlet pipe in Sierra Cove is on. Both of the boat launch ramps are fully operational. The "March Madness" special will feature $12 admission on Mondays and Tuesdays during the month of March.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Scott Noseworthy of Orange, 5-0 Nebraska Tailwalker on a Trout King Goby Pattern jig in Sierra Cove
Ian Sampson of Garden Grove, 3-7 brown trout on a nightcrawler at the west shore
Matt Baldridge of Mission Viejo, 8-6 rainbow trout on a Rapala at mid-lake
7-year old Gregory Wood of Huntington Beach, 6-4 rainbow trout on PowerBait in the Kids Lagoon
Eddie Williams of Newport Beach, 2-1 Sierra Snow trout on PowerBait at the west shore
Seth Mostero of Newport Beach, 8-0 largemouth bass [released] on a spinnerbait at Boat Dock Cove
Dan Grant of Corona, 1-7 crappie on a mini jig at the west shore
Saeheen Hong of Garden Grove, 4-8 wiper [released] on a nightcrawler at Sierra Cove
Ian Sampson of Garden Grove, 7-7 channel catfish on a nightcrawler at the west shore


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