Irvine Lake trout congregating at Woody’s Cove in morning; crappie perk up in afternoon

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Here’s this week’s Irvine Lake fishing report, written by veteran angler Steve Carson:

Fishing stayed interesting all day long this week at Irvine Lake, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. ‘The trout bite way in the back of Woody’s Cove was phenomenal this week,’ observed Getty. ‘They are trying to spawn back there, and if you are good at sight fishing, you can do incredibly well. Early morning was also a good time for bank anglers along the west shore, with most of them using Power Bait or Mice Tails. Once the breeze comes up in the afternoon, the crappie fishing has also really taken off.’

Getty added, ‘We also had a big 55-inch sturgeon caught and released. It most likely would have broken the lake record of 49.6 pounds for the species if we had weighed it.’

Irvine Lake Pro Team leader Marlon Meade was hammering the crappie almost every afternoon this week. ‘There are a lot of crappie running from 1 to 1 3/4 pounds right now,’ noted Meade. ‘The bigger ones over 2 pounds probably won’t start to show until the nighttime hours begin on June 10. Best results have been drifting at 15 to 20 feet in the mid-flats area. The bite is very good from about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., using pearl-white 2-inch Berkley Rippletail Grubs with a 1/8-ounce head.’

Catfish anglers found their quarry moving up near the trees in Santiago Flats. Soaking mackerel and shrimp have yielded decent numbers of 2- to 4-pound whiskerfish. Anticipation is running high for the big catfish season opener and evening-hours sessions beginning June 10. Bass chasers scored largemouth from 1 to 6 pounds using jigs and plastics. Good areas include the Red Clay Cliffs, Rocky Point, and the west shoreline, at depths from 1 to 30 feet. Only a couple of wipers were caught this week, but the number of bluegill moving up into brushy areas has increased dramatically.

Last week’s Masters tournament saw excellent action, and many heartbreaking losses of big fish. Tim Blackshire of Ontario took top honors with his 5-12 rainbow; garnering a package including the coveted Masters jacket and trophy, an unlimited one-year pass to the lake, $1,250 in cash, and other prizes, all with a total value of nearly $10,000.

The Kids Lagoon is slow due to warm water temperatures, but will be stocked with catfish for families with children age 12 and younger just prior to June 10. Surface temperatures on the main lake ranged from 68 to 74 degrees, with the water level down about 2 inches this week. Underwater visibility is good at about 5 or 6 feet.

Crappie anglers would do well to attend a free seminar being given by Meade. The session will take place at 6 p.m. on June 16 at the Sport Chalet store in Brea, located at 2500 East Imperial Highway.

Outstanding catches of the week included:

-- James Chadwick of San Clemente, 9-8 rainbow trout on a Rapala at mid-lake.
-- Tim Blackshire of Ontario, five-trout limit totaling 27-10, topped by a 6-14, on a Shawn Jig at Woody’s Cove.
-- Aaron Martinez of Ontario, five-trout limit totaling 25-2 on a Shawn Jig at Woody’s Cove.
-- David Schrank of Placentia, five-trout limit totaling 25-1, topped by a 6-1, on a Shawn Jig at Woody’s Cove.
-- Don Spencer of Garden Grove, 6-2 largemouth bass (released) on a jig at the Red Clay Cliffs.
-- Paul Mintzer of Riverside, 5-1 hybrid striper (released), on a nightcrawler at the flats.
-- Ed Robinson of Orange, 55-inch sturgeon (released) on Power Bait at the west shore.
-- Marty Sauceda of Costa Mesa, 3-14 channel catfish on mackerel at the flats.

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