Where is all the fish reports coming from Irvine Lake? (I've got another one)
Now to the people that have posted a fish report and their have been a few. (my apologies) But to the rest of you, "What's going on?" I sat here on this websites and many others, listen to, "when are they going to open up Irvine Lake again?" The standard line I heard was, "it was my favorite lake to fish and I'm praying they open it up to the public again!" Well they did open it up and 3,200 people attended the opening weekend and we got 3 people besides me to tell us how it went! You don't have to knock it out of the park to write up a fish report! You can even tell us what other people around you were doing and that's ok!
After we were done fishing on Friday Aug 23, me and my fishing partner Egster took a walk on the opposite shore line to see how the other people were doing. I can tell you the Bluegill are biting and the Bass guy's who look like they knew how to Bass fish had some action! (on both sides of the Lake) As for the Catfish, it was basically Trophy Time or Bust on both shore lines! The nice part is, "they all get thrown back" so it's not a case of diminishing return! In other words the place isn't getting wrecked by people taking these Trophy Catfish home!
Tackle and spot tips.
What we basically are doing is following the Lake Pros advice! Flyining Mackerel with plenty of smell added to it. (real tough) Lol The fun part is, watching you get an bite on these Trophy Catfish! They basically try to pull your pole out of the rod holder and take it into the lake. (make sure your rod is secure or your going to lose it!) You also don't want to be known as a one trick pony on spots! In other words, you want to know at least 3 good spots on the lake to fish. If your first spot is taken or not producing, you need to have other choices. I sacrificed fishing on opening day, to instead learn where some good spots were! (I'm in it for the long haul!) I hiked 3 miles on both shorelines and talked to everybody I could on opening day, to find where some good spots are located. (I found a good one, but I need back up!) Lol
On to the fishing!
We started off in a different spot today then we fished the week before. (I had that funny feelings like Lieutenant Dan gets) Lol I was wrong and we had no bites or saw anybody around us get any action. So we went back to our Sunday spot. It had a bunch of Bass anglers around it, but we were patient and waited till they left. (it's a good Bass area too!) What can I say, "I do my homework!" Lol It didn't take long before Egster got a good bite and he farmed it! It tried to take his pole into the water, so it was an Trophy Catfish! The last Bass guy left, so I moved my pole down another 50 feet, so I would be fishing a slightly different area! We are both sitting under an Umbrella when my pole get's hit hard! I'm running down the shoreline like an Olympic sprinter trying to get to my pole before it goes in the drink! That braided line I had on there, set the hook and that pole was bending big time! The Catfish for my sake felt the resistance and swam towards the shore. I wound down fast and had resistance on the pole! It was a good one, so I yelled for Egster, "to get the net!" Our spot doesn't have a lot of crap (sticks) in front of it, so I knew I was going to land it! The first look I got at her was of an, "Huge head" it's a nice Blue Catfish! (I'm thinking 20 pounds) But after we landed her, she was all head! She was good and Fat, but had no length to her at all. After a quick weigh and a couple of pictures, back she went to be caught another day. She weighed a little bit under 14 pounds. (I thought to myself, thank you very much, "I'll take it!")
Now it's Egster turn!
He farmed one already, but he's a deserving kinda guy! Lol The wind came up a little and he makes a bad cast, way to the right. But we are using big pieces of Mackerel, so it still has plenty of distance. It doesn't take long and he get's hammered again! He set's the hook and he's on with another Trophy Catfish! It's not fighting that hard, but the 8 pounder we caught last week fought like this one. Out of no where, it falls off the hook! (bummer!) He's had 2 chances, so it's not like he's sitting there twit lying his thumbs. I tell him to make the same cast again, you mike be on to something there. He does and in maybe 5 minutes later, he's hammered again! This one is full on bendo and it's a good one! During the fight it swims into my line and it get's snagged on the top dorsal fin. (so we both have her hooked) She's fighting both of us real hard! The 2 guy's next to us are kinda laughing and offer their assistance in netting this thing. I say sure, go for it! It's a real nice Channel Catfish, kinda yellow colored. After a quick weigh and a couple of pictures, back she goes into the lake! She weighed in at 11 pounds and that was Egster first DD Catfish! He wanted to walk the opposite shoreline, so it was time to pack up and leave. We both had landed a Double digit catfish from shore and it was a Free Lake to fish so far! (it doesn't get any better then that locally!)
I know this is not the same Irvine Lake as before and probably never will be again! But hey, it's still not bad and I'll let you in on a little secret! It's scheduled to be closed again to fishermen in another 3 years! Yep you heard me! They need to redo the piping that brings water in and out of the place. How long is that going to take? Years is my guess, so better enjoy it now, because it's going to be gone again for awhile or maybe for ever who knows!
