Irvine Lake catfish and bass remain active; Trout Opener slated for November 4
by Steve Carson
9-18-2011
714-649-9111
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The bass and catfish population at Irvine Lake remained active this week, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "Catfish anglers found a pretty steady bite, although the fish are slowly moving down in the water column. As autumn gets closer, look for the best depths to be around 15 to 25 feet. Bass fishing is also very good, and the more experienced anglers are getting some really nice fish."
Getty added, "We are getting pretty excited about the upcoming Trout Season Opener on November 4."
Most of the catfish on the stringers were good eating-size channel cats in the 2 to 5-pound class, with a few larger whiskerfish keeping things interesting. September and October are also prime months for the resident blue catfish to get active. Favored baits for catfish this week were mackerel, shrimp, and bonito, with good catches reported from Boat Dock Cove and Santiago Flats.
Bass anglers found their quarry using several different approaches. Mostly 1 to 3-pound largemouth were caught in very good numbers using dropshot baits and soft jerkbaits during daytime hours at 15 to 30-foot depths. Smaller numbers of the larger 4-pound and over bucketmouths were fooled by jigs and Carolina-rigged plastics during the day, or by swimbaits at 2 to 10 feet during evening hours. Top spots included the Red Clay Cliffs, Rocky Point, Sierra Cove, and the west shoreline. All bass species are catch-and-release only at Irvine Lake.
Good numbers of bluegill and redear sunfish were caught near the brush on mealworms. Reports on crappie and trout were sparse, but a handful of hybrid striped bass to 7 pounds were caught incidentally by catfish anglers. Families with children age 12 and under found decent numbers of 1 to 3 pound catfish in the Kids Lagoon on nightcrawlers under a bobber, along with mackerel, shrimp, and the marshmallow/mealworm combo.
Anglers are reminded that Irvine Lake will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays during September and October. The 2011-12 Trout Season Opener will take place on Friday, November 4, and there will also be a special limited entry "VIP Fishing Day" on Thursday November 3. Some 20,000 pounds of trout will be stocked just prior to the opener.
Getty added, "We are getting pretty excited about the upcoming Trout Season Opener on November 4."
Most of the catfish on the stringers were good eating-size channel cats in the 2 to 5-pound class, with a few larger whiskerfish keeping things interesting. September and October are also prime months for the resident blue catfish to get active. Favored baits for catfish this week were mackerel, shrimp, and bonito, with good catches reported from Boat Dock Cove and Santiago Flats.
Bass anglers found their quarry using several different approaches. Mostly 1 to 3-pound largemouth were caught in very good numbers using dropshot baits and soft jerkbaits during daytime hours at 15 to 30-foot depths. Smaller numbers of the larger 4-pound and over bucketmouths were fooled by jigs and Carolina-rigged plastics during the day, or by swimbaits at 2 to 10 feet during evening hours. Top spots included the Red Clay Cliffs, Rocky Point, Sierra Cove, and the west shoreline. All bass species are catch-and-release only at Irvine Lake.
Good numbers of bluegill and redear sunfish were caught near the brush on mealworms. Reports on crappie and trout were sparse, but a handful of hybrid striped bass to 7 pounds were caught incidentally by catfish anglers. Families with children age 12 and under found decent numbers of 1 to 3 pound catfish in the Kids Lagoon on nightcrawlers under a bobber, along with mackerel, shrimp, and the marshmallow/mealworm combo.
Anglers are reminded that Irvine Lake will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays during September and October. The 2011-12 Trout Season Opener will take place on Friday, November 4, and there will also be a special limited entry "VIP Fishing Day" on Thursday November 3. Some 20,000 pounds of trout will be stocked just prior to the opener.
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Excellent bass action kept pace with the more traditional catfish bite this week at Irvine Lake, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "Both the bass bite and the catfish bite were very good this week", observed Getty. "We always expect good numbers of catfish in September, but the size and sheer numbers of bass being caught is definitely surprising. The biggest catfish of the week, a 17-8 blue, was caught by Doug Browning of Angler's Marine, who was actually...... Read More