Just about every species of fish inhabiting Irvine Lake is on the prowl right now, and the water level continues to rise. "The water is about halfway over the pipe in Sierra Cove today", reported Jimmy Getty in the Pro Shop on Wednesday. "The level is still coming up quickly. Once the pipe in Sierra Cove is completely covered up, we will consider how far to move the buoys in. The west shore road is still high and dry. All the new water coming in is crystal clear, which the trout really like."

Trout chasers found that bait fishing was the hot ticket this week, with the new Gulp! Trout Dough topping the list of offerings. The Irvine Lake Pro Shop has actually sold out of it, as have many area tackle shops. Anglers fortunate enough to acquire a jar have been finding the best action along the west shore and at the Sierra Cove restriction lines. Most trout are running from 1 to 4 pounds, with plenty of 5 to 10-pounders spicing up the stringers.

Bass fishing had been excellent overall, with the fish moving up very shallow with the nicer weather. The red clay cliffs remained the hotspot, with a variety of plastics and jigs working well on largemouth in the 2 to 10 pound class.

Dennis Dalrymple of Los Alamitos was tossing a super fluke into just 2 feet of water near the cliffs when a 17.10-pound hybrid striped bass inhaled the lure and took off up the lake. After finally chasing down and releasing the big fish, he and his partner got back to business and released another 20 largemouth.

Catfish action is "just ridiculous", quipped Getty, with some limits of the whiskerfish being seen. As more and more anglers target the catfish, ever increasing numbers of big cats to 17 pounds are being seen, with nightcrawlers, shrimp and mackerel in the newly-flooded vegetation at the flats and near the docks topping the choices.

Crappie numbers are also on the rise, with trout anglers fishing mini jigs bringing in some significant incidental catches of slabs running up to a pound. Large carp continue with their spawning ritual, and are vulnerable to specialty European carp fishing techniques.

Due to a malfunctioning water pump, trout plants in the Kids Lagoon have been suspended indefinitely. The week of April 20 will feature a special stocking of beautiful Alpers rainbow trout in the 2 to 5 pound range. The first week in May will also see a large batch of steelhead up to 8 pounds going in.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Dennis Dalrymple of Los Alamitos, 17.10 pound hybrid striper [sunshine bass] on a super fluke at the red clay cliffs
Roberto Espinoza of Wilmington, 17.0 pound catfish on nightcrawlers near the docks
Sam Tagaloa of Orange, 15.0 pound catfish on mackerel near the docks
Nico Tagaloa of Orange, 14.1 and 11.7 pound catfish on mackerel near the docks
Shahen Mikrtchyan of Burbank, 13.8 pound trout on nightcrawlers at the west shore
Dennis Brangwin of Orange, 12.5 pound catfish on mackerel near the docks
Dylan Algra of Bellflower, 11.9 pound trout on a Rapala at the west shore
Todd Scullin of Lake Elsinore, 10.12 pound trout on a Mira-Shad at mid-lake
Kenny Gwynne of Orange, 10.1 pound largemouth bass [released] on a jig at the west shore
John Dorren of Glendale, 6.12 pound trout on Power Bait at the west shore [float-tube derby winner]
Stan Kong of Garden Grove, 6.0 pound trout on Gulp! at the west shore

Media contacts:
Daniela Galvadon at the Irvine Lake Pro Shop [714-649-9111]
Steve Carson at scarson@sunset.net