Irvine Lake sees monster 54-7 blue catfish top catches

Another one of Irvine Lake's famous monster catfish was brought in late on Saturday night, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "Lake regular Terry Lairson weighed in a monstrous 54-7 blue catfish just before Midnight on Saturday", observed Getty. "Lairson was using a big chunk of mackerel with a 7/0 Gamakatsu hook and 65-pound Power-Pro superbraid line. His fishing partner Chris Hagopian made three attempts before netting it after a half-hour back and forth battle. The big fish was successfully released back into the lake."

Getty added, "From mid-August to mid-October is when we see the biggest blue cats caught here at Irvine Lake. Concentrate in 20-foot or deeper water and large pieces of bait, like a mackerel head or a whole fillet of mackerel. Lately the best bite has been from 8 PM to 10 PM, but the big fish was hooked just after 11 PM."

Lots of limits of 2 to 8-pound channel catfish were also caught by anglers using mackerel and shrimp in less than 20 feet of water. Good catfish catches were reported from mid-lake, the west shore, and Santiago Flats. A few bass anglers found some 2 to 4-pound largemouth on dropshot-rigged plastics at the Red Clay Cliffs. No crappie were checked in, but some bluegill and redear sunfish hit on mealworms.

Families with children age 12 and under found good numbers of small carp and 1 to 3-pound catfish using marshmallow/mealworm combos and 1X2 inch strips of bonito belly. Surface temperature on the main lake is 80-82 degrees, with the lake level receding approximately 4 inches per week. Bothe the west shore and Trout Island launch ramps are in operation, and the West Shore Road is open to vehicle traffic. Lake hours for the remainder of catfish season are; Thursdays- 6 AM-11 PM; Fridays and Saturdays- 6 AM-Midnight; Sundays- 6 AM-6 PM; Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays- CLOSED.

The 2014-15 public trout season opener will be Friday, October 31, with thousands of pounds of trout stocked. A special limited-entry "VIP Fishing Day" on Thursday October 30. Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Terry Lairson of Huntington Beach, 54-7 blue catfish [released] on mackerel at the flats
Aaron Titleman of San Fernando, 11-7 blue catfish on Bite-On at the flats
Terry Lairson of Huntington Beach, 16-9 channel catfish on mackerel at the flats


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