The catfish in Irvine Lake always come out to play in October, and this year is no exception, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The catfish bite continues to be very, very good", observed Getty. "We even had a pair of 17-pound plus blue catfish caught and released by a single angler on Saturday night. As the water cools, the cats are moving deeper and fattening up for the winter ahead. Best bet is to present your baits down at 10 to 30 feet."

Getty added, "Our big 2011-12 Trout Season Opener will be on Friday, Nov. 4. Irvine Lake Pro Team leader Marlon Meade will be conducting free trout fishing seminars at Sport Chalet in Torrance on Oct. 13, 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. Attending one of Marlon's seminars will definitely help people catch their share of fish this season."

General Manager Dave Noyes returned this week from viewing the opening day fish at popular Calaveras Trout Farms. "Due to cold-water conditions at Calaveras all year, these are the best-looking trout we have seen in decades. Most of our opening weekend planting will consist of rainbow trout in the 2 to 3-pound range, along with about 3,000 pounds of brookies and brown trout in the 5 to 8-pound class. Also included in our 20,000 pound total stocking will be 5,000 pounds of trophy-grade trout from 8 to 15 pounds."

Catfish anglers reported good scores at Boat Dock Cove, Santiago Flats, and in particular along the west shore. Productive baits included mackerel, bonito, skipjack, and shrimp. Most of the whiskerfish on the stringers were channels in the 2 to 6-pound range, but some larger-grade channels and even a few blue cats to over 17 pounds kept things interesting.

Bass fishing was steady, with decent numbers of 2 to 4-pound largemouth caught on dropshot and Carolina-rigged plastics at 15 to 30 feet. A few hybrid striped bass to 9 pounds were caught by catfish anglers soaking mackerel baits. No trout or crappie anglers checked in this week, and only a handful of anglers went after bluegill, which were nonetheless plentiful on mealworms in the shallows. Slow fishing was reported from the Kids Lagoon, due to weed removal operations in preparation for the Trout Season Opener on Nov. 4. The main lake water level is holding steady, with surface temperatures at 72 to 74 degrees. Water clarity is rated at 5 feet.

Whoppers reported this week at Irvine Lake include:
Bill Kim of Fullerton, 17-8 and 17-4 blue catfish [both released] on shrimp at the flats Craig Atkinson of Orange, 7-8 channel catfish on mackerel/shrimp at the flats Danny Jackson of Orange, 9-15 wiper [released] on mackerel at the west shore Phil Hildebrandt and Craig Atkinson of Orange, 10-catfish limit totaling 40-14 on mackerel/shrimp at the west shore.