Irvine Lake trout biting well, 12-12 rainbow tops catches

Anglers heading to Irvine Lake found good overall trout fishing, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. Getty observed, "The trout bite late last week was just wide open, it dipped a little over the weekend, then bounced back on Monday and Tuesday."

He added, "Some steelhead are also being caught, but many are not being identified correctly. The water clarity is about 4 to 5 feet."

Most bait dunkers are using 16 to 18-inch leaders. Top producing colors for Power Mouse and Power Bait presentations are white, chartreuse, and pink Power Trout Worms. Trollers are scoring with Rapala Countdown CD05's, X-Rap XR06's, and Shad Rap SR05's in firetiger and chartreuse colors.

Especially good catches of trout were recorded at Woody's Cove, with Trout Island, the west shore and near the dam also good bets. Most trout on the stringers were in the 1 to 5-pound category, with some larger trophies over 6 pounds highlighting the stringers.

The lake's crappie population has hit spawning mode, which means the fish are hanging out at the tops of flooded trees. Slabs to 2 pounds are biting on white or yellow Atomic tubes with a meal worm trailer, along with darthead-rigged white 2-inch Gulp! Minnows.

Bass anglers are finding their quarry moving up, with very good numbers of largemouth in the 2 to 5-pound class holding at 15 to 25 feet. Some fish are starting to bite on reaction baits, in addition to the standard dropshot-rigged baits.

Bluegill are still deep, with a few hand-size specimens being taken on mealworms when located, but no catfish were reported this week. Action in the Kids Lagoon continues to be good for families with children age 12 and under. The road to Trout Island and the west shore road are currently under water, with the lake level holding steady.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:

- Sherry Leonhardt of San Clemente, 12-12 trout on Power Bait at Trout Island
- Jim Sanchez of San Clemente, 10-6 trout on an X-Rap at the west shore
- Greg Barnicot of San Gabriel, 9-4 trout on a nightcrawler at Trout Island
- Bob Nordstrom of Placentia, 9-2 and 7-6 trout on a Rapala at the flats
- Johnny Lopez of Garden Grove, 9-0 trout on a nightcrawler at the west shore
- Jay Earles of Redondo Beach, 8-12 trout on a Needlefish near the dam
- Robert Avemaria of Placentia, 7-12 trout on Velveeta at the flats