Good catches of catfish rebounded this week for Irvine Lake anglers, reported Nick Sepulveda at the pro shop. "It [catfish fishing] was really good overall, especially at the flats. The pipe in Sierra Cove will be running until late fall to keep the lake level holding steady."

Ronson "Catman" Smothers had a guide trip on Saturday and reported, "I took out Bill and Derek Wingo of Tustin on Saturday morning. It was slow near the dam, so we decided to hit the hotspot, and within 10 minutes we were hooked up. The next 2 hours was crazy, and we were limited out by 11:00 AM!

"After that I went back out, and at around 3:00 PM I had another limit of nice blue cats. The night bite on Saturday was slow."

Far and away the best spot was Santiago Flats, although some whiskerfish were taken along the west shore and near the dam.

Bass fishing was excellent for largemouth in the 2 to 4-pound range. Topwater baits right at dusk were responsible for anglers releasing up to 20 bass per evening. Jimmy Getty at the Pro shop observed, "The daytime bite on bass is very good on worms and jigs on rockpiles in the flats. There are schools of bass breaking on shad, and they are biting on tailspins."

The crappie bit slumped somewhat, with Marlon Meade of Anaheim managing to catch only a half-dozen slabs on Saturday evening using Berkley Atomic Tubes and Atomic Teasers. Bluegill fishing was red-hot, with the feisty 'gills attacking shrimp along with mealworms at the west shore, Rocky Point and near the docks.

The Kid's Lagoon is still being stocked with catfish for families with children age 12 and under. Best bait in the Lagoon has been Gulp! Catfish Dough.

In an effort to conserve the lake's population of blue catfish, a free lake pass will be given to any angler who releases a blue weighing 10 pounds or more. Release is mandatory for all catfish over 20 pounds, which will also receive a free lake pass. Releasing a fish in excess of 50 pounds will earn the angler a free boat rental.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Bill Wingo of North Tustin, 18.9 pound catfish on Catmando bait at the flats
Derek Wingo of North Tustin, 5-catfish limit totaling 81.6 pounds topped by a18.8 pounder, on Catmando Bait at the flats
Al Madriaga of Corona, 17.14 pound carp on mackerel at the flats
Kyle Walker of Los Angeles, 16.6 pound catfish on mackerel at the flats
Noel De La Cruz of Foothill Ranch, 16.4 pound catfish on mackerel at the flats
Ronson Smothers of Los Angeles, 5-catfish limit totaling 78.0 pounds topped by a 16-pounder, on Catmando Bait at the flats
Joe Philippi of Moorpark, 15.6 and 14.0 pound catfish on mackerel at the flats
Brian Kaufman of Lakewood, 14.3 pound catfish on shrimp at the west shore