Irvine Lake 15-14 trophy rainbow is top trout; bass bite goes "full throttle"

Steady trout action topped by a nice 15-14 rainbow was on tap at Irvine Lake, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "Everyone who used lighter 2 and 4-pound line did well on trout, but those who stubbornly stuck to heavy line caught very little", observed Getty. "The bass bite is going full throttle, and there are bass being caught in just about all of the traditional spots."

Trout anglers who used 2-pound test leaders did best, with 14 to 16-inch leaders being most productive. Top colors for Power Mouse or Power Bait presentations included chartreuse, white, yellow and pink. Trollers scored using Rapala X-Rap XR06's in chartreuse or orange colors, along with Rapala Countdown CD05's in firetiger.

Good trout catches were reported from the west shore, Trout Island and near the dam. Most trout were in the 1 to 5-pound range, but some nicer fish, including the 15 pound, 14 ounce whopper were also seen. A few nice brown trout to 4 pounds and decent numbers of 2 to 6-pound steelhead were also on the stringers.

Crappie fishing was wide open for local expert Marlon Meade and friends, who found easy limits of 1-pound class slabsides using white Atomic Tubes and 2-inch white Gulp! Minnows rigged dropshot-style. Flooded trees near the docks and in Santiago Flats were holding the crappie.

Bass anglers found vastly improved action, with some anglers releasing as many as 25 fish per day. Largemouth in the 2 to 5.5 pound category are in pre-spawn mode, and are hitting on various plastics and reaction baits in numerous areas of the lake. Anglers are reminded that the lake maintains a strict release-only policy on all bass species.

Families with children age 12 and under found trout fishing spotty in the Kids Lagoon. The lake level is holding steady, but the road to Trout Island remains under water.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included;

Mike Traut of Fullerton, 15-14 rainbow trout on an Owner Mira-Shad at the west shore.
Eric Norton of Monterey Park, 9-10 rainbow trout on a Gulp! Egg at Woody's Cove.
Glen Struckman of Fullerton, 8-8 rainbow trout on Power Bait at Sierra Cove.
Vlad Roschuhpkan of Pomona, 8-6 rainbow trout on a nightcrawler at the flats.
Eddie Herrera of Moreno Valley, 8-2 rainbow trout on Power Bait at the flats.
Jeff Hansen of Lake Forest, 6-0 steelhead on a Kastmaster at the west shore.
Caitlin Cron of Huntington Beach, 4-6 steelhead on Power Bait at Trout Island.
Audrey Shipnovick of Laguna Hills, 5-9 Largemouth bass [released] on a Senko at the flats.
Cole Hiramatsu of Orange, 5-8 largemouth bass [released] on a dropshot bait at Rocky Point.