Irvine Lake sees 16-6 trout weighed in, steelhead stocking slated for President's Day

Improved weather at Irvine Lake meant much improved catches compared to last week, reported Daniela Gavaldon at the Pro Shop. "It's warm and sunny with just a little breeze", observed Gavaldon. "The water level is holding steady and the clarity is pretty good, lots of limits are being caught. Also, we had Andre Pettwar of Lynwood hook a huge trout using Power Bait on 4-pound test line. After a 10-minute fight, he hauled in a monster rainbow that weighed 16 pounds, 6 ounces."

Gavaldon added, "We will be receiving a stocking of steelhead in the 3 to 5-plus pound range just before our big President's Day Weekend tournament. These ???silver bullets' are absolutely beautiful, and fight harder than just about any freshwater fish you've ever caught."

Bait anglers did well using Power Mouse, Power Bait and Gulp! Trout Dough combinations that relied heavily on chartreuse colors. Best spots for bait were Trout Island, near the docks and Santiago Flats.

Trollers did best along the west shore, Rocky Point and near the dam. Most trollers dragged the standard offering of a firetiger-color Rapala CD05 and did quite well. As spring begins to arrive, more natural colors like brown trout and brook trout more closely replicate emerging insects, and the Rapala Jointed J05's and J07's are very good.

Rapala X-Rap XR06's in chartreuse/red or orange/gold trolled with frequent jerks of the rod tip scored a slightly larger than average grade of fish, and some deep trollers using size 1 or 2 Luhr Jensen Needlefish in cop-car or bikini colors scored some nice catches near the dam.

Most of the trout limits consisted of fish in the 1 to 5-pound category. Some larger 6 to 8-pounders spiced up the stringers, and again many of the larger fish that were hooked managed to get away.

The bluebird weather again saw some bass boats out on the lake, but the bass specialists were completely mum about their success. No catfish catches were reported.

The Kids Lagoon water level is also holding steady, and good catches of stocker-size trout were made by families with children age 12 and under.

Anglers should also note that for the big Western Outdoor News tournament scheduled for April 18, ALL anglers must pre-register for the tournament. This can be done either online with WON itself, or via one of the entry forms available at the lake or at the Irvine Lake booth at the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach.

ANYONE NOT PRE-REGISTERED FOR THE WESTERN OUTDOOR NEWS TOURNAMENT WILL NOT BE ADMITTED TO THE LAKE ON APRIL 18.

Besides registering for the tournament, anglers can reserve their rental boats and camping spots for that date. Due to strong early response, it appears likely that all rental boats will be taken at least 10 days before the event. For that reason, it is recommended that anglers interested in boat rentals or camping spots on April 18 enter the tournament make their reservations immediately.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Andre Pettwar of Lynwood, 16-6 rainbow trout on Power Bait at the flats
Stephen Burridge of Alta Loma, 10-8 rainbow trout on a Needlefish near the dam
Alex Pastor of Orange, 8-10 rainbow trout on Power Bait at Trout Island