Irvine Lake crowns "Queen of the Cats"; Trout Season countdown continues
The annual "King of the Cats" tournament at Irvine Lake bestowed a new
title over the weekend, as Elaine Dickerhoof of Artesia became the
"Queen of the Cats" with her 17-0 blue catfish. "The catfish bite has
been good, with lots of bigger fish", observed Jimmy Getty at the Pro
Shop. "The fish are moving deeper, and were mostly caught at 20 to 25
feet at the flats and the west shore."
Getty tipped, "Bonito was the best bait for the larger blue cats this
week; Elaine caught her winning fish on it, and several other big ones
were also fooled by it."
Plenty of eating-size channel cats from 2 to 6 pounds were caught, in
addition to the bigger-grade blues. Besides bonito, good catches were
reported on mackerel and shrimp. Top locations were Santiago Flats and
the west shore.
Bass fishing slowed down from its previous torrid pace, but decent
numbers of 2 to 3-pound class largemouth were still to be had.
Slowed-down presentations of jigs and worms were the best bet, at Rocky
Point and the Red Clay Cliffs.
Anglers chasing crappie, bluegill, and redear posted few results this
week. A handful of hybrid striped bass were caught incidentally to
catfish efforts.
Families with children age 12 and under did very well in the Kids Lagoon
on 1 to 3-pound channel catfish on fluorescent red Power Bait, and the
marshmallow/mealworm combo. The main lake's surface temperature is
ranging from 71 to 74 degrees, and the lake level is receding slowly.
The countdown continues to Irvine Lake's 2010-11 Trout Season Opener,
which will be on Friday, November 5, with over 20,000 pounds of trout
stocked. A special limited-entry "VIP Fishing Day" will take place on
Thursday, November 4; contact the Pro Shop [714-649-9111] for
information on a great opportunity to beat the opening day crowds.
A free Trout Fishing Seminar will take place on October 28 from 6:30 to
8:00 PM at Fisherman's Hardware in Long Beach. Featured speaker will be
Pro Team leader and trout fishing expert Marlon Meade. A variety of bait
fishing, lure casting, and trolling topics will be covered.
Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Tony Muniz of Mission Viejo, 20-0 blue catfish [released] on shrimp at
the flats
Elaine Dickerhoof of Artesia, 17-0 blue catfish [released] on bonito at
the flats
Ted Gervais of Vista, 14-6 channel catfish on mackerel at the flats
Marty Saucedo of Costa Mesa, 13-12 blue catfish [released], and 13-6
channel catfish on bonito at the flats
Bob Blair of Tustin, 12-12 channel catfish on mackerel at the flats
Terry "Pontoon" Lairson of Huntington Beach, 12-4 channel catfish on
mackerel at the flats
Aaron Titleman of Orange, 3-1 wiper on mackerel at the flats