Catfish anglers dominated the action at Irvine Lake this week, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop.

Photo by: irvinelake.net
Grand Cats -- Phil Hildenbrandt of Anaheim checked in a rare 8.6-pound albino catfish and a 14.7-pound blue catfish using mackerel at the Santiago Flats.

“The catfish bite has been decent most nights, and right after the thunderstorm, it was really good,” Getty said.

““Lake regular Phil Hildenbrandt had an awesome week, and got a ‘Grand Slam’ by catching every kind of catfish we have in the lake. He scored blue catfish weighing 15.12 and 14.7 pounds, along with channel cats of 8.6 and 8 pounds. Hildenbrandt then got one of the rarest fish in the lake, an 8.6-pound albino catfish. All of his fish were caught on mackerel at Santiago Flats,” Getty added.

“Santiago Flats was the top location, with mackerel, bonito, commercial preparations and Gulp! Bloody Shad Guts all fooling the kitties.
Good stringers of eating-size channel cats in the 2- to 6-pound range were caught by anglers fishing near brush, which unfortunately meant that most of the larger fish escaped.

“The best tactic for crappie anglers was fishing at 16 feet over submerged brush on Santiago Flats from 6 to 8 p.m. White Atomic Tubes and white 2-inch Gulp! jigging grubs were the favored lures for slabs to over 1 pound.

“Bass chasers found mixed action on their quarry. Mostly 2- to 3-pound largemouth were caught in a variety of locations, including the Red Clay Cliffs, Rocky Point and Sierra Cove.
Plastics, jigs and tailspins were the most commonly reported lure choices, and lighter line was definitely called for.

“Hybrid striped bass (sunshine bass or wipers) were a bit more reclusive this week. Some 3- to 4-pound-class fish were caught by anglers soaking chicken liver at night, or tossing shad imitating lures into boiling fish during the day.

“Anglers trolling with seven colors of leadcore line near the dam are finding a surprisingly steady bite on rainbow trout to 3 pounds, with a Cop-Car color Luhr Jensen Needlefish tied to 6-pound mono leader being the top enticer.’

Irvine Lake Pro-team leader Marlon Meade also found an excellent drifting bite.

“We fished early in the morning,” Meade reported. “The bite was really good on mixed rainbow trout, steelhead and largemouth bass by dropping a splitshot-rigged orange or chartreuse Power Worm down to the 40-foot level in 72 feet of water. There is also a huge bloom of juvenile shad in the lake right now; all of the fish are stuffed with them,” Meade said.

“Plenty of bluegill and redear were caught in brushy areas on mealworms and Gulp! Crickets. The Kids Lagoon had very good catfish action on stocker-size fish for families with children ages 12 and younger, with the marshmallow/mealworm combo the best bait.

“The main lake water level is receding slowly; surface water temperature is 80 degrees. A minor algae bloom is developing due to the warm water.


Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Phil Hildenbrandt, Anaheim, caught two blue catfish weighing 15.12 and 14.7 pounds, two channel catfish weighing 8.6 and 8 pounds and an 8.6-pound albino catfish. All were captured at the Santiago Flats on mackerel. Whitney Curry, Silverado, caught a 4.0-pound hybrid striper (released) on jerkbait/Hot Sauce at the flats; Don Spencer, Orange, caught a 3.1-pound largemouth bass (released) on a tailspin at Sierra Cove; Marlon Meade, Anaheim, caught a 3.12-pound rainbow trout on a Power Worm at the flats. Curtis Meade, Anaheim, caught a 3.1-pound steelhead on a Power Worm at the flats; Mitz “Magic Man” Onizuka, Irvine, caught a 1.9-pound crappie on a Manic Minnow at the flats.