Catfish action remained good at Irvine Lake this week, according to Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "Plenty of limits of eating size 2 to 8-pound channel cats are being caught", said Getty. "For those who know how to do it, there were also lots of 10 to 20-pound blue cats."

Popular big-catfish specialist Ronson "Catmando" Smothers reported, "We went straight to the hotspot on Friday and picked up an 11.8 pounder in the first 15 minutes! For the next 3 hours the bites came every 30 minutes or so. I also landed 13.8, 17 and 19 pounders."

Smothers tipped, "The fish all hit on large chunks of frozen mackerel with Catmando attractant. If people want to catch these larger fish, they should use larger baits. The Catmando cut baits are more for eating-size fish. Cut a big frozen mackerel into large chunks and lather them with Catmando attractant. The bite can be slower, but the rewards are great. Also, use nothing less than 20-pound test. I have been seeing numerous people being broken off by those double digit blues. I usually go up to 25-pound test in September and October."

Productive catfish spots included the west shore, near the docks and Santiago Flats. Top baits were Catmando, DuMong's, Gulp! Catfish Dough, shrimp and plain mackerel.

Bass anglers found a decent bite on 2 to 3-pound largemouth using topwaters in the evenings, and plastics during the day along the red clay cliffs. Bluegill and redear were still bending rod for anglers offering meal worms or waxworms. Crappie fishing is steady for a smaller grade of fish.

Releasing a blue catfish weighing 10 pounds or over will earn anglers a free pass to the lake. The Kid's Lagoon is low due to weed abatement, but good catches are still being made on the meal worm/marshmallow combo for families with children age 12 and under.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Ronson "Catmando" Smothers of Los Angeles, 19-pound catfish [released] on Catmando Bait at the west shore
Fred Ballestrero of Hawthorne, 18.8 pound catfish on mackerel at the flats
Kyle Walker of Los Angeles, 18.12, 14.2 and 11.2 pound catfish on mackerel at the west shore