Irvine Lake trouting "wide open", bonus stocking of 5 to 15-pound trophy rainbows this week

Cold and wintry weather this week is exactly what trout like, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "Fishing has been absolutely wide-open the last couple of days", said Getty. "Lots and lots of 1 to 4 pounders were caught, along with a few 5- plus pounders, along with some exotic brooks and browns. On Thursday of this week, we will receive an extra bonus planning of beautiful trophy-class rainbows in the 5 to 15-pound class. This planting of big fish is in addition to our regular weekly allocation of trout.

"This week's rainy weather means that the roads will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. Hopefully things will dry out sufficiently by Friday, but call ahead for up to the minute road conditions."

Getty added, "This coming weekend [Dec. 20-21] we are putting on a huge December Tournament. There will be lots of prizes, and it is also a qualifier for our Masters Tournament."

Best bait colors for anglers offering Power Mouse or Power Bait were chartreuse, white and orange, with preferred leader lengths being 12 to 16 inches. Sierra Cove was the top location, but good catches were also made at Trout Island, Santiago Flats, the west shore, and near the docks.

Trolling improved for mid-week anglers as well. Best choices were bright-color Rapalas in sizes CD03 and CD05. Anglers able to acquire Rapala X-Raps in the tiny new XR06 size have also scored using the chartreuse, orange, and hot-pink colors.

No bass anglers ventured out during the week, so no report was forthcoming on that species. As water temperatures drop, so do the number of catfish caught incidentally in the pursuit of trout, but a few 2 to 5-pound whiskerfish still showed at the cleaning tables.

Very good action is also available in the Kids Lagoon for families with children age 12 and under. Lots of brown trout and rainbow trout are being caught in the Lagoon, but the brook trout have been a little elusive. Only 2 "Trout Grand Slams" were registered by young anglers this past week, leaving over 20 spots still open to qualify for the special "Kids Derby" in February. Those kids scoring a "Slam" will also receive a certificate of achievement from the California Department of Fish and Game.

Water levels continue to rise at least 6 inches daily. Anglers can park at the campground and make a short 10-minute hike to the west shore if so desired.

Anglers are reminded that Irvine Lake will be open normal hours on Christmas Eve [Dec. 24], and closed on Christmas Day [Dec. 25]. The following week will see the lake open normal hours on both New Years Eve and New Years Day.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
- Cole Hiramatsu of Orange, 7-4 and 6-0 rainbow trout on a jighead-rigged Power Worms at the west shore
- Tony Muniz of Tustin, 5-14 rainbow trout on Power Bait at Sierra Cove
- Pat Yoshida of Moreno Valley, 4-12 brook trout on a Kastmaster at Trout Island
- Lauren Chavez of Anaheim, 4-2 brook trout on Gulp! Trout Dough at Sierra Cove