The bite on bigger blue catfish took a downward turn this week, reported Daniela Galvadon at the Pro Shop. "The night bite for catfish on Saturday was pretty slow", commented Galvadon. "Crappie anglers who located the bigger schools still did very well. The pipe in Sierra Cove is running again at a steady flow which should stabilize the lake level."

Whiskerfish catches were mostly channel cats in the 2 to 8-pound category. Productive spots included Santiago Flats, along the west shore, near the docks and near the dam. Favored baits were Catmando, DuMong's, shrimp and Gulp! Catfish Chunks.

Some good stringers of crappie were checked in on both Friday and Saturday evening. The key is setting out a floating lantern. Once the insects and minnows are attracted to the light, the crappie would soon follow. Best lures for slabs to 1 ?? pounds are Berkley Atomic Teasers and Atomic Tubes with a mealworm trailer.

Bass anglers continued to score well on largemouth in the 2 to 7-pound category suing a variety of techniques. Best bet was to throw topwaters right at sundown, then buzzbaits at night. Daytime bass chasers are using dropshot baits and jigs along the red clay cliffs at 15 to 22 feet. Anglers are reminded that all bass species must be released.

Plenty of bluegill and redear were caught on mealworms and waxworms in the brushy shallows. Families with children age 12 and under did well on catfish in the Kid's Lagoon. The hot bait in the Lagoon was the marshmallow/meal worm combo.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Jose Flores of Riverside, 12.4 pound catfish on shrimp at Rocky Point
Robert Nazar of Kingman, Arizona, 11.4 pound catfish on sardines at the flats
Jose Gonzalez of Riverside, 9 pound catfish on shrimp at Rocky Point
Luke Harris of Huntington Beach, 7.2 pound catfish on mackerel at the dam
Nick Sepulveda of Orange, 5.1 pound largemouth bass [released] on topwater at the west shore
Damion Long of Artesia, 5-catfish limit totaling 21.1 pounds on DuMong's at the flats