A huge stocking of oversize blue catfish to nearly 40 pounds has anglers chomping at the bit this week at Irvine Lake. Friday June 8 will see the formal opening of catfish season, with the lake remaining open until 2:00 AM on Friday and Saturday nights for the remainder of the summer season. The night-time hours will give anglers the best shot at hooking one of the lunker cats.

"We had to get these fish into the lake earlier than we had planned", said General Manager Dave Noyes. "These huge blue cats were just overcrowding things at the fish farm, and they needed to move them out about a week ahead of time. Every fish in this batch was over 20 pounds, and quite a few of them were in the 30 to 40 pound range. We are also planting another ???regular' weekly load of 5,000 pounds of the 2 to 8-pound class channel cats this week."

Anglers are reminded that release is mandatory on all catfish and sturgeon over 20 pounds. Lucky anglers will receive a free admission pass to the lake, and anglers releasing a giant over 50 pounds will also receive a certificate for a motor boat rental. Fish must be brought directly to the boat dock [not the pro shop/office] for verification by Lake Staff.

Also slated as part of the catfish season opening celebration will be a seminar by world-famous big catfish expert Ronson "Catman"Smothers. The free seminar will take place at 5:00 PM on Friday night June 8. Few anglers anywhere know more about catching big blue and channel cats than Smothers.

Catfish anglers are already finding very good daytime action on 2 to 15-pound whiskerfish in a variety of spots, including near the docks, along the west shore and in the flats. Good bait choices have been Catmando-flavor mackerel, nightcrawlers and Bowker's.

Trout trollers skilled in deepwater downrigger and leadcore line presentations continue to score on a very impressive grade of fish. Dragging Rapalas or Needlefish lures near the dam and mid-lake is kicking out good numbers of 3 to 9-pound rainbows.

Good stringers of bluegill and crappie are being tallied by anglers who target those species. Bass fishing is fair at best on 2 to 4-pound largemouth hitting on dropshot baits at 15 to 20 feet at the red clay cliffs and Rocky Point.

The water level is receding at the rate of approximately one foot per week, and the lake will be closed on Tuesdays for the rest of the summer. Repairs on the Kid's Lagoon have not yet been completed.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Al Rotta of Lomita, 13.9 pound catfish on mackerel at the flats
George Luis Lopez of Santa Ana, 13.2 pound catfish on Gulp! Salmon Eggs at the west shore
Patrick ???Troutman65' Norton of Garden Grove, 8.8 pound trout on nightcrawlers at the west shore
Andres Campos of La Mirada, 6.6 pound trout on nightcrawlers at the west shore
Art Villa of Orange, 5-catfish limit totaling 28.1 pounds on nightcrawlers at Woody's Cove
Stew Arbogast of Lake Forest, 5-trout limit totaling 21.4 pounds on Rapalas at mid-lake