Irvine Lake stocker catfish bite "spectacular", trophy catfish plants slated

Irvine Lake General Manager Dave Noyes announced that a bonus planting of some 1,000 pounds of trophy channel catfish to 15 pounds was made last week, with another 2,000 pounds of the bigger-grade fish to be spread out during July. Noyes has also acquired rights to 10,000 pounds of broodstock channel catfish in the 15 to 40-pound category, which will be planted starting in mid-August.

Currently the night bite on catfish has ranged from pretty good to wide-open, observed Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The catfish bite on Friday night was spectacular, by far the best day of the year." reported Getty. "Many anglers limited out in only and hour or two. We had one angler who made 5 casts and caught 5 catfish, then went home after only 35 minutes!"

Getty added, "Word got out and then we had 150 to 200 boats on Saturday, which put the fish down a little. Saturday was still good for those near the right structure."

Productive baits included mackerel, shrimp and DuMongs. Best spots were boat dock cove, with some fish taken at the flats or near the dam. Most of the catfish are stocker-size from 2 to 5 pounds, with a few nicer whiskerfish from 6 to 9 pounds being seen along with the occasional encounter with a whopper.

Crappie fishing was decent for those who choose to put out a light and wait for the minnows to gather under the boat. It is widely felt that the light repels catfish however, so anglers are forced to make a decision one way or the other. Slabs up to 2 pounds are being caught on Atomic Teasers or 2-inch Gulp! Minnows rigged on a leadhead.

Bass anglers are doing very well on 2 to 5-pound largemouth early and late with Rattlin' Rapalas and Skitter Pops fished over grass beds. Mid-day finds the fish sinking out to 15 or 20 foot depths and rocky points on dropshot-rigged plastics. Some very nice 5-fish cumulative weights exceeding 20 pounds have been seen.

Daytime anglers are finding excellent numbers of bluegill and redear near the docks. Favored offerings are mealworms and waxworms. The Kids Lagoon is back in operation, and has been restocked with catfish. Few anglers have been fishing the Lagoon due to the great action in the main lake. The Lagoon is reserved for families with kids age 12 and under.

Several special admission deals are going on right now. Thursday night fishing is now only $15 from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM. When a family of three or more pays for camping and fishing on Friday and Saturday, you will get Sunday's fishing for free [minimum two night stay required].

Anglers are reminded that Irvine Lake is now open for fishing on Thursday nights until 11:00 PM, in addition to the usual Friday and Saturday late hours until 2:00 AM. The lake is closed on Tuesdays.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:

Lee Dickerhoof of Chino, 16.12 pound catfish [released] on a mackerel head at the flats Adrian Pintor of North Hollywood and Bob Barr of Orange, 15-catfish limit totaling 50.9 pounds on mackerel/shrimp at the flats

Media contacts:
Daniela Gavaldon or Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop [714-649-9111]
Steve Carson at scarson@sunset.net