VineAssist
07-28-2012, 03:43 PM
Its getting to be that time of year guys and gals. Starting about mid August early September the Giant Catfish, both Channels and Blues, start to head to the deeper water to feed up heavily for the up coming winter. Traditonally September and October are the two best months to land a Trophy Catfish here at Irvine Lake. When we say a trophy Catfish we are talking about fish that easily eclipse the 25lb mark. In fact allmost every year Irvine Lake has a Catfish weighed in that eclipses the 40lb mark. With tons of structure and a plethora of forage (shad, trout, crawdads, pretty much anything that they can get their mouths over) there is no reason that the lake record of 89.6 Blue Catfish can not be caught. There are a ton of factors that can increase your odds of hooking and landing these massive Catfish.
When fishing for these Trophy Sized Catfish it is recommended that you fish BIG baits. On a full sized Mackeral you might get three (3) baits off the whole mackeral alone. Each fillet can serve as a bait and the head of the mackeral is also a very good bait for trophy sized Cats. Brian "Bluehunter" Cummings has caught a ton of Big Blue Catfish here at Irvine Lake using the head of a Mackeral while Ronson "Catmando" Smothers has caught most of his quality fish on fillets. When using these big baits it should go hand and hand that you use a big hook. There are literally hunderds of different options out there with the use of cirlce hooks and J hooks often debated as well. Just pick whichever style you prefer and have sizes 4/0 upto 7/0 at your disposal. Most anglers choose to flyine there baits for these Giant Catfish due to there being less weight to throw around and also less hardware to get in the way of underwater obstacles and other tackle failures.
When fishing for these Giant Catfish make sure to be fishing heavy gear. Heavy gear for Catfish is anything from 15lb on up to 30lb test. In fact most serious Trophy Catfish fisherman describe 15lb test as there finesse rig. The reason we recommend such heavy gear is these fish are old and wise to where they live. They will test your tackle and fishing skills to the max. I can not tell you how many "fish" stories we hear each summer. Nine times out of ten it is someone who hooked up to a 50lb plus fish on 6-8lb test line fought the fish for up to 30minutes plus only to have his tackle fail during crunch time. Having the heavier gear will give you a greater chance of landing these fish.
This tip may sound completly obvious but it is another one that just seems to happen every year and it is kind of amusing. When fishing for these Trophy sized fish please do yourself a favor and buy a trophy sized net. With out fail allmost every year we hear " The fish would not even fit into our Trout Net and it made one last dive and broke us off!" Promar and Danielson both make very good nets that can be picked up for pretty inexpensive. If you even plan on chasing these fish do yourself a favor and pick one up. When you dont have it is when you will need it! You may look like a newbie netting a 10lb+ fish with this giant net but when that new lake record comes up and you have the proper net nobody will be laughing any more.
Once you land one of these Giants we engourage you to call us at the tackle shop. Most of our staff (Nick, Santiago, Donny, Jerry, and myself) have handled a ton of these fish over the years. We will make sure that your trophy fish gets weighed in, handled, and Released (over 20lbs is strictly Catch and realease on Catfish). The staff will also take a bunch of photos and make sure that your fish is displayed on the website, social media outlets and sent off to publications that way people see your catch. The staff will also ensure that your fish is properly handeled during the release process. We have been knowen to spend up to an hour reviving the fish to make sure they are in good health when releasing them. This a big reason why Irvine Lake is knowen throught the country as a lake that is knowen to harbor Trophy sized Catfish is because our release policy and the amount of time we take to ensure they are well taken care of. If you do land a Trophy Sized Catfish our tackle shop number is 714-649-9111 ext 1. Whoever answers the phone will give you instructions on where to meet staff that way we can help you get your catch documented.
So get ready guys and gals. Go to your local store or stop by the tackle shop and pick up the gear you need to land your next personal best. Who knows the next fish you hook could be the next lake record! So come on out and try your luck at fishing for the GIANTS of Irvine Lake.
JImmy
When fishing for these Trophy Sized Catfish it is recommended that you fish BIG baits. On a full sized Mackeral you might get three (3) baits off the whole mackeral alone. Each fillet can serve as a bait and the head of the mackeral is also a very good bait for trophy sized Cats. Brian "Bluehunter" Cummings has caught a ton of Big Blue Catfish here at Irvine Lake using the head of a Mackeral while Ronson "Catmando" Smothers has caught most of his quality fish on fillets. When using these big baits it should go hand and hand that you use a big hook. There are literally hunderds of different options out there with the use of cirlce hooks and J hooks often debated as well. Just pick whichever style you prefer and have sizes 4/0 upto 7/0 at your disposal. Most anglers choose to flyine there baits for these Giant Catfish due to there being less weight to throw around and also less hardware to get in the way of underwater obstacles and other tackle failures.
When fishing for these Giant Catfish make sure to be fishing heavy gear. Heavy gear for Catfish is anything from 15lb on up to 30lb test. In fact most serious Trophy Catfish fisherman describe 15lb test as there finesse rig. The reason we recommend such heavy gear is these fish are old and wise to where they live. They will test your tackle and fishing skills to the max. I can not tell you how many "fish" stories we hear each summer. Nine times out of ten it is someone who hooked up to a 50lb plus fish on 6-8lb test line fought the fish for up to 30minutes plus only to have his tackle fail during crunch time. Having the heavier gear will give you a greater chance of landing these fish.
This tip may sound completly obvious but it is another one that just seems to happen every year and it is kind of amusing. When fishing for these Trophy sized fish please do yourself a favor and buy a trophy sized net. With out fail allmost every year we hear " The fish would not even fit into our Trout Net and it made one last dive and broke us off!" Promar and Danielson both make very good nets that can be picked up for pretty inexpensive. If you even plan on chasing these fish do yourself a favor and pick one up. When you dont have it is when you will need it! You may look like a newbie netting a 10lb+ fish with this giant net but when that new lake record comes up and you have the proper net nobody will be laughing any more.
Once you land one of these Giants we engourage you to call us at the tackle shop. Most of our staff (Nick, Santiago, Donny, Jerry, and myself) have handled a ton of these fish over the years. We will make sure that your trophy fish gets weighed in, handled, and Released (over 20lbs is strictly Catch and realease on Catfish). The staff will also take a bunch of photos and make sure that your fish is displayed on the website, social media outlets and sent off to publications that way people see your catch. The staff will also ensure that your fish is properly handeled during the release process. We have been knowen to spend up to an hour reviving the fish to make sure they are in good health when releasing them. This a big reason why Irvine Lake is knowen throught the country as a lake that is knowen to harbor Trophy sized Catfish is because our release policy and the amount of time we take to ensure they are well taken care of. If you do land a Trophy Sized Catfish our tackle shop number is 714-649-9111 ext 1. Whoever answers the phone will give you instructions on where to meet staff that way we can help you get your catch documented.
So get ready guys and gals. Go to your local store or stop by the tackle shop and pick up the gear you need to land your next personal best. Who knows the next fish you hook could be the next lake record! So come on out and try your luck at fishing for the GIANTS of Irvine Lake.
JImmy