Mystery solved on why the lousy trout fishing at Irvine lake!

[etucker1959]

Even though I am a competitive fishermen (I want my cut too of the fish) I do want to help people who really want to catch a fish. So in doing so, I have to be able to offer them something they can use! I can't say, "go to Lake Wohlford or some far off distant lake." My own good fishing buddy's at Irvine don't want to hear that. Let alone someone who is just learning how to fish! So the best advice I can offer them, is to fish one of the smaller ponds. I'VE GOT SOME BIG NEWS COMING LATER ON THIS WEEK IN THAT DEPARTMENT! Don't miss it! So the best thing I can do in offering advice, is some first hand experience! So I went down to Ralph B. Clark park in Buena Park on Thursday, to get some info on the trout bite there. So in going to Irvine lake this weekend, "I would have some hard facts to offer people at Irvine while their getting skunked!" Low and behold when I got to Ralph B. Thursday afternoon, they hadn't stocked the lake yet. So that means Irvine lake and all the other Orange County Regional park lakes will get stocked on Friday the third.

Since I'll be fishing for catfish this weekend and every other weekend, till the other lakes come back into shape. I'll get to see them actually stock the trout while I'm there. After being there for about an hour, I see this convoy of vehicles coming down the road. But none of them look like a stocking truck????????? But it has to be, because their is no other reason for a convoy of vehicles to be on the road then. As the convey passes me, I'm looking for anything that looks like a stocking truck. Nope, the closest thing is some towed trailer that looks like something Jethro Bodine would invent on the Beverly Hillbilly's!!!! Well guess what??????? That was their stocking container! You talk about a Hillbilly rig! I can't believe the fish were still alive in that thing! I looked at the vehicle that towed it to the lake. It didn't have the name of the hatchery on it, but the name of some towing company. So they farm it out to a third party contractor to transport their fish. I'm sure many of you have seen the Mount Lassen stocking truck or the Imperial catfish farm truck. It looks like a shiny self contained vehicle like a fancy Motor home would be. So when the fish arrive in those vehicles, their well rested and ready to go when they get put in the lake. Kind of like going to a party and arriving in a Limo. You come out of the vehicle well rested and ready to party! Those poor fish they put into Irvine lake, come all the way from Idaho in that contraption! It's the same as some poor undocumented person trying to sneak into the USA, in the back of some hot sealed truck. What's the first thing that person is going to do, after he gets out of that truck? He's going to get as far away from that truck as he can! Same thing with those trout. A couple of people caught some trout right after they put them in. But after 4 hours in the lake, those fish all left the area they were stocked at. This is why we are having another crappy trout season at Irvine lake. Those fish go and hide as soon as their put in the lake!

[lazyfisherman]

Thanks for the report. I bet trolling through the middle of the lake like how it was back in the day would be killer. But definitely been hard to catch a trout at Irvine since 2 years ago. It sucks because it was such a nice lake to take the kids to so they can catch a fish.

[Limit Time]

Even though I am a competitive fishermen (I want my cut too of the fish) I do want to help people who really want to catch a fish. So in doing so, I have to be able to offer them something they can use! I can't say, "go to Lake Wohlford or some far off distant lake." My own good fishing buddy's at Irvine don't want to hear that. Let alone someone who is just learning how to fish! So the best advice I can offer them, is to fish one of the smaller ponds. I'VE GOT SOME BIG NEWS COMING LATER ON THIS WEEK IN THAT DEPARTMENT! Don't miss it! So the best thing I can do in offering advice, is some first hand experience! So I went down to Ralph B. Clark park in Buena Park on Thursday, to get some info on the trout bite there. So in going to Irvine lake this weekend, "I would have some hard facts to offer people at Irvine while their getting skunked!" Low and behold when I got to Ralph B. Thursday afternoon, they hadn't stocked the lake yet. So that means Irvine lake and all the other Orange County Regional park lakes will get stocked on Friday the third.

Since I'll be fishing for catfish this weekend and every other weekend, till the other lakes come back into shape. I'll get to see them actually stock the trout while I'm there. After being there for about an hour, I see this convoy of vehicles coming down the road. But none of them look like a stocking truck????????? But it has to be, because their is no other reason for a convoy of vehicles to be on the road then. As the convey passes me, I'm looking for anything that looks like a stocking truck. Nope, the closest thing is some towed trailer that looks like something Jethro Bodine would invent on the Beverly Hillbilly's!!!! Well guess what??????? That was their stocking container! You talk about a Hillbilly rig! I can't believe the fish were still alive in that thing! I looked at the vehicle that towed it to the lake. It didn't have the name of the hatchery on it, but the name of some towing company. So they farm it out to a third party contractor to transport their fish. I'm sure many of you have seen the Mount Lassen stocking truck or the Imperial catfish farm truck. It looks like a shiny self contained vehicle like a fancy Motor home would be. So when the fish arrive in those vehicles, their well rested and ready to go when they get put in the lake. Kind of like going to a party and arriving in a Limo. You come out of the vehicle well rested and ready to party! Those poor fish they put into Irvine lake, come all the way from Idaho in that contraption! It's the same as some poor undocumented person trying to sneak into the USA, in the back of some hot sealed truck. What's the first thing that person is going to do, after he gets out of that truck? He's going to get as far away from that truck as he can! Same thing with those trout. A couple of people caught some trout right after they put them in. But after 4 hours in the lake, those fish all left the area they were stocked at. This is why we are having another crappy trout season at Irvine lake. Those fish go and hide as soon as their put in the lake!

SAD but TRUE! The trout are no where to be seen. I think you need it like the ole days - a boat to hunt them down.