Irvine Lake's trout action "wide open"; Kids Lagoon opens with a bang

Last weekend's Santa Ana winds are a distant memory, and Irvine Lake's trout fishing this week rebounded to the torrid pace it had been keeping prior to the disruptive breezes. "The trout bite is unbelievable, it's just wide open", exclaimed Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The water level is also rising fast; the west shore road is already mostly gone. Access only goes as far as Woody's Cove. The big 5 to 14-pound trophy rainbows we stocked last Friday are still pretty elusive."

Bait fishing was more productive than trolling, with the "Power Mouse" continuing to be the top offering. White was the top color for this concoction, a white "Gulp Salmon Egg" tipped with a 2-inch piece of Power Trout Worm. Leaders from 12 to 14 inches were best.

Most trout on the stringers were rainbows in the 1 to 4 pound category, with some exotics mixed in for spice. Luckier anglers had few brown trout and brook trout that included at least one monster brookie over 6 pounds mixed in for spice. Good catches were tallied at the west shore, Trout Island, Santiago Flats and Sierra Cove.

Bass anglers were able to locate some largemouth in the 2 to 4-pound class using jigs and dropshot baits. Anglers are reminded that all bass species are catch-and-release only. Plenty of catfish are being caught incidentally by anglers targeting trout.

The Kids Lagoon also opened up this weekend, with excellent action seen for families with children age 12 and under. The Lagoon's trout were biting a wide range of offerings, from Power Bait to Atomic Teasers. A few catfish and bass were also caught in the Lagoon.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Marty Saucedo of Costa Mesa, 6.62 Brook Trout on Power Bait at the West Shore.

Tony Hernandez of Orange, 4.06 Rainbow Trout on a Roostertail at the Flats.

Mitz Onizuka of Irvine, 3.87 Brook Trout on Nightcrawlers at Sierra Cove.

Peter Cho of Arcadia, 3.12 Brook Trout on Power Bait at Trout Island.