The month of October is always one of the best of the year for catfish at Irvine Lake, and the whiskerfish bite just keeps going and going, reported General Manager Dave Noyes. "Anglers are catching lots of eating-size channel cats, and some of the nicer blue and channel cats from 10 to 16 pounds", observed Noyes. "A smaller piece of mackerel about 2 inches square is good for the channels, but you can use up to a whole half-mackerel or mackerel head if you want to zero in on the bigger blues."

Good catches of catfish were made at Boat Dock Cove and the west shoreline, but anglers spent most of their time at Santiago Flats looking for the bigger blue catfish that are moving into water as deep as 40 feet. Productive baits included mackerel, bonito, skipjack, and shrimp. Bass anglers are scoring good numbers of largemouth, primarily in the 2 to 5-pound class. Daytime bass anglers are concentrating on rocky structure, with jigs, dropshot baits, and Carolina-rigged plastics being tops. Low-light conditions will see some reaction bait fish and even a few swimbait fish.

Reports of crappie were few and far between, but those anglers interested in bluegill could catch all they wanted on mealworms in the brushy shallows. The Kids Lagoon experienced slow action due to weed removal in preparation for the Trout Opener.

Eager anglers are counting down the days until Irvine Lake's big Trout Season Opener on Friday, November 4. Some 20,000 pounds of trout will be planted just prior to the opener.

The majority of the stocking will consist of rainbow trout in the 2 to 3-pound class from popular Calaveras Trout Farms, along with 3,000 pounds of brookies, and brown trout in the 5 to 8-pound range. Another 5,000 pounds of trophy-grade fish from 8 to 15 pounds will be part of the 20,000 pound total.

Irvine Lake Pro Team leader Marlon Meade will be conducting free trout fishing seminars at Sport Chalet in Brea on Oct. 27, Sav-On Tackle in Santa Fe Springs on Nov. 1, and Sport Chalet in Mission Viejo on Nov. 10. Contact the Pro Shop about reservations for the special limited-entry "VIP Fishing Day" to be held on Thursday, Nov. 3.

The lake will be closed to the public from Monday, October 31, through Thursday, November 3, to stock fish and prepare for the season. Beginning with the Nov. 4 Trout Opener, winter operating hours will be 7 days a week, 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM Sunday through Thursday, and 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. The Pro Shop and Snack Bar will open at 5:30 AM for help with rigging and awesome breakfast burritos.