Good numbers of stocker-size catfish highlighted by a few larger whiskerfish were the story this week at Irvine Lake, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "Thursday and Friday night were decent this week', observed Getty. "We really expected Saturday night to be when some real big fish got weighed in, but a sudden thunderstorm struck, and everybody went home."

Getty continued, "Our trout season opener will be on October 31, and we will stock 20,000 pounds of trout for the occasion. The opening day stockers will be rainbows, steelhead, brookies and browns up to 5 pounds. Once the water temperatures have really cooled off in mid to late November, we will start stocking the bigger trophy trout to 15 pounds and over."

The catfish are beginning to move toward the dam, but good catches were also made at the west shore and Santiago Flats. Typical limit stringers are made up of 2 to 6-pounders, along with a few larger 8 to 15-pounders scattered around each evening. Best cat baits are mackerel, bonito, Gulp!, DuMong's, shrimp and Catmando.

Crappie action is still red-hot, but the average size of the slabs has decreased to generally less than a pound. Best techniques have been drifting during the evening, and anchoring up with a lantern at night. Productive lures are white or glow-color Berkley Atomic Teasers or 2-inch Gulp! Minnows.

Bass anglers are again clamming up about specifics, but the overall good action on 1 to 4-pound largemouth is continuing. Best bets are dropshot-rigged plastics off points at 15 to 20 feet during the day, and topwater baits in the shallows at night.

Carp specialists using high-tech European techniques have been finding some large buglemouth. Plenty of bluegill and redear are biting in the shallows for anglers offering waxworms and mealworms.

Irvine Lake will be closed on October 27, 28, 29 and 30 in order to stock trout and prepare the lake. The Kids Lagoon is currently closed for maintenance, and will re-open for trout season. The final late-night catfish session will be on Saturday October 25.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Ronson "Catmando" Smothers of Los Angeles, 15.8 pound catfish on Catmando Bait near the dam
Keith Hyun of Anaheim, 15.8 pound catfish on mackerel near the dam
Chris "Trollmeister" Hagopian of Redondo Beach, 12.4 pound catfish on mackerel near the dam