Irvine Lake catfish season opens this Friday night; trout still chewing well
by Steve Carson
6-5-2011
714-649-9111
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Thousands of pounds of channel catfish will be stocked in Irvine Lake this week and each week for the rest of the summer, to supplement the already substantial natural population of both channels and blues. The always popular evening hours will commence on Friday and Saturday night [June 10-11], when the lake will be open until midnight. After that, summer hours will be: Thursday nights 6 AM to 11 PM; Fridays and Saturday 6 AM to Midnight; Sunday-Monday-Wednesday 6 AM to 4 PM, and CLOSED on Tuesdays for the summer months.
In action this week, Jimmy Getty reported that the trout bite was excellent. "Deep water trollers getting the best of it, but shore casters at Woody's Cove and the flats are also doing very well. There were a bunch of heavy limits weighed, with some really nice 4 to 7-pounders mixed in", observed Getty.
Crappie anglers also did well this week, noted Irvine Lake Pro Team leader Marlon Meade. "The crappie bite is slow until about 2:00 PM when the breezes come up. After that, its pretty wide open, with easy limits of 1 to 1.75 pound slabs for anglers drifting at 16-25 feet. Best lure is the white or glow 2-inch gulp! Grub rigged with a 1/8 ounce ball head due to the greater depth and wind velocity."
Meade will also be conducting a free crappie fishing seminar on June 16 at the Sport Chalet store in Brea, 2500 East Imperial Highway.
Bass anglers concentrated on mostly deep water fish, although good numbers of 2 to 6-pound largemouth were spread out at from 1 to 30 feet. Carolina and dropshot-rigged plastics, along with jigs were the favored offerings, with the top locations being the Red Clay Cliffs and Rocky Point. No wipers were reported this week.
The catfish bite is coming on strong all on its own, with limits relatively easy to achieve on cut mackerel or shrimp. Plenty of juvenile bluegill and redear are in the brushy shallows, but are still mostly small.
Action in the Kids Lagoon was slow this week, but should perk up for families with children age 12 and under when catfish are stocked later in the week.
The main lake level is holding steady, with surface water temperatures hovering around 74 degrees. Water clarity is very good.
In action this week, Jimmy Getty reported that the trout bite was excellent. "Deep water trollers getting the best of it, but shore casters at Woody's Cove and the flats are also doing very well. There were a bunch of heavy limits weighed, with some really nice 4 to 7-pounders mixed in", observed Getty.
Crappie anglers also did well this week, noted Irvine Lake Pro Team leader Marlon Meade. "The crappie bite is slow until about 2:00 PM when the breezes come up. After that, its pretty wide open, with easy limits of 1 to 1.75 pound slabs for anglers drifting at 16-25 feet. Best lure is the white or glow 2-inch gulp! Grub rigged with a 1/8 ounce ball head due to the greater depth and wind velocity."
Meade will also be conducting a free crappie fishing seminar on June 16 at the Sport Chalet store in Brea, 2500 East Imperial Highway.
Bass anglers concentrated on mostly deep water fish, although good numbers of 2 to 6-pound largemouth were spread out at from 1 to 30 feet. Carolina and dropshot-rigged plastics, along with jigs were the favored offerings, with the top locations being the Red Clay Cliffs and Rocky Point. No wipers were reported this week.
The catfish bite is coming on strong all on its own, with limits relatively easy to achieve on cut mackerel or shrimp. Plenty of juvenile bluegill and redear are in the brushy shallows, but are still mostly small.
Action in the Kids Lagoon was slow this week, but should perk up for families with children age 12 and under when catfish are stocked later in the week.
The main lake level is holding steady, with surface water temperatures hovering around 74 degrees. Water clarity is very good.
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6-1-2011Fishing stayed interesting all day long this week at Irvine Lake, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The trout bite way in the back of Woody's Cove was phenomenal this week", observed Getty. "They are trying to spawn back there, and if you are good at sight fishing, you can do incredibly well. Early morning was also a good time for bank anglers along the west shore, with most of them using Power Bait or Mice Tails. Once the...... Read More
5-24-2011
The crappie population at Irvine Lake was on full display this week, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "We have been seeing a lot of crappie limits this week", observed Getty. "During our big crappie tournament, a 10-year old boy caught the winning limit of fish, which weighed a total of 7-8. Several other limits were filled by slabs that averaged well over a pound apiece." Getty tipped, "Many different techniques and lures are working. Crappie are being...... Read More
The crappie population at Irvine Lake was on full display this week, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "We have been seeing a lot of crappie limits this week", observed Getty. "During our big crappie tournament, a 10-year old boy caught the winning limit of fish, which weighed a total of 7-8. Several other limits were filled by slabs that averaged well over a pound apiece." Getty tipped, "Many different techniques and lures are working. Crappie are being...... Read More