The fishing scene at Irvine Lake this week bore a closer resemblance to Flaming Gorge Reservoir than an urban impoundment, with unprecedented numbers of beautiful trophy-grade brown trout brought to the scales, and even a few full 5-fish limits of browns being checked in. The parade of double-digit rainbow trout to 14 pounds was equally impressive, and a number of nice brook trout and steelhead added excellent color to the stringers.

"Brown trout fishing has just been off the hook!", remarked Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "There have been several big fish that would qualify the anglers into the exclusive 'brown baggers' club if they had been caught up in the Sierras, plus lots of truly beautiful browns in the 4 to 9 pound class. We also weighed the heaviest rainbow of the year so far, at over 14 pounds."

Getty added, "The best time for browns has been first thing in the morning, but the rainbows have been hitting all day long. This may be the first time ever that we have seen anyone get a full 5-fish limit of brown trout here at Irvine Lake."

The west shore continued to be the hotspot for both boaters and shorebound anglers, although the fish have started to move around the lake, and notable catches were also made at mid-lake, near the dam, along the Red Clay Cliffs, and Santiago Flats.

Trollers did best with hot pink and firetiger-color lures, with Flicker Shads, SC Shiners, Rapala Countdown CD05's and Rapala Shad Rap SR04's. Slow-trolling was the key, with speeds from 0.8 to 1.5 mph most productive. Top spots for trollers were mid-lake and near the dam restriction lines.

Bait dunkers and those casting tiny plastics did best along the west shore, but the plastics were the superior choice for most anglers. White was the hot color, followed by pink, with small offerings like Trout King Worms rigged dropshot or darthead-style, and Atomic Teasers rigged with or without a bobber. Very few anglers spent any time in pursuit of bass, catfish, crappie, or other species.

Families with children age 12 and under found good numbers of 1 to 3-pound rainbows in the Kids Lagoon on PowerBait. Surface temperature on the main lake is 62-64 degrees, with underwater visibility rated crystal clear. Lake level is holding steady, with the west shore road open for vehicle traffic about halfway to the dam. The lake will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but will be open regular hours the day before and also on Black Friday, making it a far more appealing destination than an overcrowded mall.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Liam Guerry of Coto de Caza, 9-5 brown trout on a mini jig at the west shore
Kerry Hazana of Rosemead, 9-5 brown trout on a mini jig at the west shore
Andrew Navarro of Orange, 9-4 brown trout on a Trout King Worm at the west shore
Vincent Virgen of Orange, 7-14 brown trout on a Rapala at the west shore
Scott Noble of Riverside, 7-9 brown trout on a Flicker Shad at Boat Dock Cove
Richard Huntley of Nome, AK, 5-5 brown trout on a Flicker Shad at the west shore
David Garcia of Fullerton, 14-13 rainbow trout on a nightcrawler at the west shore
Greg Ortiz of Orange, 13-12 rainbow trout on a Lucky Craft at the west shore
Adam Cervantes of Placentia, 12-5 rainbow trout on a nightcrawler at the west shore
Brandon Arima of Orange, 11-2 rainbow trout on a Rapala at mid-lake
Don Criswell of Yorba Linda, 10-8 rainbow trout on a Rapala at the west shore
Bradley Sampson of Fullerton, 10-2 rainbow trout on a mini jig at the west shore
Mark Christoph of Coachella, 9-0 rainbow trout on a Flicker Shad at mid-lake
Craig Adkinson of Orange, 2-9 brook trout on a Trout King Worm at the west shore
Jerry Ortiz of Westminster, 1-8 brook trout on a mini jig at the west shore
Luke Perez of Orange, 11-4 steelhead on a Flicker Shad at the Red Clay Cliffs
Hector Arias of Fontana, 7-3 channel catfish on shrimp at mid-lake
Steve Christopher of Pomona, 1-3 bluegill on a nightcrawler at the west shore