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Southern CA Freshwater Fishing Report
Irvine Lake action a mixed-species delight; Crappie Classic slated for this weekend
Western Outdoor NewsPublished: May 14, 2012
SILVERADO — The all-around action at Irvine Lake couldn’t have gotten much better, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. “We’ve had very good fishing for trout, bass, catfish, carp and crappie,” Getty observed. “Trout are being caught all over Santiago Flats at 20 to 25 feet. Many people are getting limits in just a couple of hours. The bass fishing is still exceptional, too.
“We’ve been seeing some trout anglers breaking out the ‘old-school’ methods, including the Pinched ‘Crawler on a jighead and suspended at 20 feet, and also the cast-a-bubble rigged to sink extra-slow.”
Getty added, “Our big catfish season opener will be on Friday, June 8. After the opener, summer hours will go into effect; Fridays and Saturdays until midnight, Thursday nights until 11 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays until 4 p.m., and closed on Tuesdays. During catfish nighttime tournaments, we will stay open until 2 a.m., with the first date for that being the ‘King of the Cats’ event on June 9.”
Local guide Hubert Zimara of KFGS Service related: “We caught a bunch of nice trout just trolling for a couple of hours in the middle of the day, using two to four colors of leadcore line. Most of the fish were at Santiago Flats and mid-lake, and ranging from 1 to 3 pounds. Best lures were red/chartreuse or brook trout-color Rapala Countdown CD03’s, and silver Tasmanian Devils.”
Dwight Hwang of Irvine used PowerBait at the west shore for a 4.6-pound rainbow.
Bass fishing continues to be phenomenally good, with largemouth in the 2- to 4-pound range responding to almost any legitimate bass-fishing technique. Fish were reported on plastics, jigs, reaction baits, Senkos and topwaters in just about any rocky or brushy area.
Lake staffer Jimmy Getty of Silverado managed a 6.1-pound bass while fishing a Triple Trout at the west shore.
Catfish chasers found the kitties all over in the trees at the back of Santiago Flats, in depths from 5 to 30 feet. The best baits were mackerel and shrimp for whiskerfish in the 2- to 6-pound class. Time of day did not seem to matter.
Mitz Onizuka of Irvine was soaking shrimp at the flats when he nailed a 4 ½-pound channel cat.
Plenty of crappie are being seen in both the flats and Boat Dock Cove. The slabs are holding at 15 to 17 feet, and white Atomic Tubes with a mealworm trailer are the top tempter. Plenty of bluegill are available in the brushy shallows, but few anglers pursued them this past week.
Families with children age 12 and under did well on catfish and very large carp to 8 pounds in the Kids Lagoon, using specialty European carp techniques. The Crappie Classic tournament will take place on Saturday, May 19. The one-day only “no trout limit” event will be June 2. Surface temperature on the main lake is 68-72 degrees, with underwater visibility rated very clear. The lake level is holding steady.
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SILVERADO — The all-around action at Irvine Lake couldn’t have gotten much better, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. “We’ve had very good fishing for trout, bass, catfish, carp and crappie,” Getty observed. “Trout are being caught all over Santiago Flats at 20 to 25 feet. Many people are getting limits in just a couple of hours. The bass fishing is still exceptional, too.“We’ve been seeing some trout anglers breaking out the ‘old-school’ methods, including the Pinched ‘Crawler on a jighead and suspended at 20 feet, and also the cast-a-bubble rigged to sink extra-slow.” Getty added, “Our big catfish season opener will be on Friday, June 8. After the opener, summer hours will go into effect; Fridays and Saturdays until midnight, Thursday nights until 11 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays until 4 p.m., and closed on Tuesdays. During catfish nighttime tournaments, we will stay open until 2 a.m., with the first date for that being the ‘King of the Cats’ event on June 9.” Local guide Hubert Zimara of KFGS Service related: “We caught a bunch of nice trout just trolling for a couple of hours in the middle of the day, using two to four colors of leadcore line. Most of the fish were at Santiago Flats and mid-lake, and ranging from 1 to 3 pounds. Best lures were red/chartreuse or brook trout-color Rapala Countdown CD03’s, and silver Tasmanian Devils.” Dwight Hwang of Irvine used PowerBait at the west shore for a 4.6-pound rainbow. Bass fishing continues to be phenomenally good, with largemouth in the 2- to 4-pound range responding to almost any legitimate bass-fishing technique. Fish were reported on plastics, jigs, reaction baits, Senkos and topwaters in just about any rocky or brushy area. Lake staffer Jimmy Getty of Silverado managed a 6.1-pound bass while fishing a Triple Trout at the west shore. Catfish chasers found the kitties all over in the trees at the back of Santiago Flats, in depths from 5 to 30 feet. The best baits were mackerel and shrimp for whiskerfish in the 2- to 6-pound class. Time of day did not seem to matter. Mitz Onizuka of Irvine was soaking shrimp at the flats when he nailed a 4 ½-pound channel cat. Plenty of crappie are being seen in both the flats and Boat Dock Cove. The slabs are holding at 15 to 17 feet, and white Atomic Tubes with a mealworm trailer are the top tempter. Plenty of bluegill are available in the brushy shallows, but few anglers pursued them this past week. Families with children age 12 and under did well on catfish and very large carp to 8 pounds in the Kids Lagoon, using specialty European carp techniques. The Crappie Classic tournament will take place on Saturday, May 19. The one-day only “no trout limit” event will be June 2. Surface temperature on the main lake is 68-72 degrees, with underwater visibility rated very clear. The lake level is holding steady. |
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