It must take an Rocket Scientist to stock trout in Irvine Lake!
Every since they announced the reopening of Irvine Lake I was skeptical about the whole thing. (it was never one of my favorite lakes) But I'm an opportunist and an pragmatist and if it was any good I would fish it. Well ever since they reopened it I was impressed! The Trophy Catfishing was off the hook for our little group of 3 anglers. When they announced the stocking of trout I too was skeptical! Heck the first time they stocked trout I was busy getting skunked fishing for Trophy catfish in the back of Santiago flats. I tried trout fishing the next day and found it to be very good. I went the very next week and it was still good!
I really thought most of the trout would swim out in the middle of the lake and nobody would be able to catch them. (that's where I would catch them in my boat trolling for them when the lake was open before) But much to my surprise again, they bit really good on the shoreline! The trout are biting pretty good on the shoreline and their completely stocking them all wrong in my opinion! Let me tell you what their doing wrong and it's still working! If they would stock them correctly in my opinion, it would be insane trout fishing!
The first stock they threw half of them in the lake at Trout island. (nobody caught crap there) The other half they stocked them along the West shore. Those bit really good and I assume the trout island fish just swam into the middle of the lake. (imagine if they stocked them all on the West shore that time!) The next stocking they learned their lesson and didn't stock any on Trout Island. However, instead of stocking them on the second and third cove on the West shore. (their is only 3 coves) They stocked them all in the first cove. In my opinion the worst place they could have stocked them on the West shore! On this past Friday I and a million other anglers hit the lake hard expecting these fish to bite like crazy! They didn't!!! Most people had between 0-3 fish, I hooked 4 and left at noon. I asked one of the friendly staff who was doing a creel count if anybody caught a limit of trout that day. Nobody had as of noon. On Saturday the fish grouped up a little better by the boat docks and some people caught their limits!
I think it's wonderful they are trying real hard to make Irvine Lake the jewel of the Orange County park lakes! They just need a little help in when and where they stock their trout! Remember folks these trout are all going to die in the summer when the water gets too hot for them! So you really want to set up a turkey shoot for them! (no reason to try to save them for later) So in a perfect world this is how I would stock them! If possible stock them on Thursday! Trout will bite right out of the tanks, so stocking them on Tuesday (which they have been doing) makes no sense! Put 2/3 of the trout or all of them in the 3rd cove. (if you put 2/3 in the third cove put the other 1/3 in the second cove) They like that area and will just swim back and forth all along the shore line from the Boat docks to the 2nd cove. Sorry about the first cove but the trout don't like it there anyway!
If they stock it that way, it should go literally wide open for the people! Isn't that what it was intended to do anyway!
Tackle tips.
By the way, the reports that Western Outdoor News reports about the lake are pretty good! Fish 2-4 pound test line. You only need a small weight because the fish are pretty close to the shore. (I only use a split shot) A number 18 or 16 treble hook for your power bait. The hot colors have been chartreuse, rainbow, corn and natural light green with garlic. (all the powerbaits but corn should be bought with garlic infused into it) Night crawlers blown up and power mice. The 2 best colors I've seen are pink and white and especially orange with an white head! Dip all baits in garlic! The 2 best garlic's are Bite on and Bang!
Good Luck and get their when they open because the good spots go fast! Buy you parking permit from the machine by the gate. Make sure your parking permit is face up on your dash! Their checking and writing warning tickets!
