Irvine Lake pre-opener bite is as hot as the weather
Head to Irvine Lake if you want to beat the heat and catch a bunch of big trout. The lake opens tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 5) and is almost brim full and the oak/sage habitat surrounding Irvine is a lush green from all the October rains.

Best of all, the great Irvine Lake staff stuffed the lake with a huge batch of hungry 1 to 5-pound trout that were biting like crazy for media, guests and the eager anglers who forked out $150 for the chance to get the jump on opening day.

This SFR reporter ran into some old friends from the former publication and we took a boat to get some photos and test the waters. Over the years and many Irvine openers, a good, high water level has meant a great bite and we no sooner turned the corner around the boat dock and headed towards the dam than we spotted Manny Moumdjian of Irvine hooked up. By the time we got to his boat, Manny was just slipping the net under a fat rainbow that fell for a fire tiger Owner Cultiva lure.

Manny told us he not only paid to get in a day early and enjoy a steak barbecue lunch and raffle, he had already been back to the tackle shop to pay the standard $17.50 for a permit to catch another limit.

"I trolled bigger lures earlier, but once I put on the small fire tiger they really started biting," Manny said. Ben Babbitt got him to lend us a pink Cultiva and it wasn't long before it got Kathy Risley hooked up to a beautiful rainbow. The fish got away - and took the lure - but that's another story. We saw Manny and other trollers hooked up constantly and the bait guys fishing in the same area - the basin outside the buoys past Trout Island and between Santiago Flats and the West Shore - were also hammering the fish. Everyone I asked who caught a limit on bait said they used garlic scent Power Bait.

Right before we got bit we saw Manny hook up with a fish that jumped the minute it felt the Owner trebles. It was pretty far back behind the boat and when we dropped our lure back is when it got bit. You could see fish swirling all over the place up on the surface.

It was time to get back in for the barbecue and to see how those who got out early had done. Dave Noyes of the Serrano Water District, which operates Irvine Lake, was busy grilling up the steaks while new lake manager Melanie Montoure and her staff got everything set up. They really have the facility looking great, with the road out to Trout Island built up and graded and the Kid's Pond frothing with fish for the youngsters.

The one downside of a full lake is it limits shore fishing access, but Irvine Lake Pro Team member and Berkley trout expert Marlon Meade was on hand and said fishing from the accessible areas of the West Shore was off the hook good. Of course, they stay on the hook for him. Bob Halal of the Pro Team was also on hand, as was Steve Carson. I heard Shawn Arnold of Fish Taco Chronicles was there, but they couldn't drag him away from the good fishing.

However you look at it, Friday looks like a great day to ditch work and go to Irvine Lake for some trout fishing. Jimmy Getty in the tackle shop has everything you need to catch fish, including the new biodegradable bait containers. Ice to keep all the fish caught cold was the hot item just before lunch. While there may not be a steak barbecue, the café will be open and kicking out its killer fare.

If you can't get out tomorrow or this weekend, don't worry, lots more trout are on the way. For more information, go to www.irvinelake.net.