01-26-2004, 06:44 PM
Irvine Lake sees 15.20 pounder top holiday derby, massive plantings due
Trout chasers had to work a little harder to get their limits due to heavy holiday weekend pressure, reported Justin Herndon at the Irvine Lake Pro Shop. "We have had a big turnout for our holiday weekend trout derby, and that put the fish a little off", said Vest. "The weekday fishing should be much better, and there are still a lot of trout left from our 10,000 pound stocking last week."
"We will be putting in another 5,000 pounds of beautiful wild-raised Calaveras rainbows this week. During the week of January 27, we will have yet another massive 10,000 pound bonus planting for our ‘Super Bowl’ event."
Bait fishing is still more productive than trolling, but a 15-plus pounder was caught by an angler trolling a Rapala at Sierra Cove. Nightcrawlers and Power Bait dipped in Secret Sauce are the mainstays of anglers who prefer to still fish.
Crystal Bullet jigs tipped with Power Worms and dipped in Secret Sauce are the hot casting lures. Best success has been reported during the early mornings until about 9:00 AM.
The majority of trout are ranging from 1 to 3 pounds, but plenty of 4 to 8 pounders are spicing things up. A few stirrings of catfish have been heard some mornings, but the lakes’ bass population is laying very low.
The west shore road is open to vehicle traffic about 3/4 of the way to the dam. The gate to the Santiago Flats road is currently open, with the ground having dried sufficiently for safety. Another huge jackpot derby is scheduled for Super Bowl weekend.
Trophy Trout Jackpot Derby winners:
1. Ryan James- 15.20 pound rainbow trout
2. Yanni Rubion- 10.60 pound rainbow trout
3. Dr. Fishman- 9.75 pound rainbow trout
Other outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:
Hector Navarro of Bell Gardens, 9.85 pound rainbow trout on a jig at the west shore
Ross Hopper of Los Angeles, 8.80 pound rainbow trout on a jig at the west shore
Tibor Kerekes of Torrance, 8.60 pound rainbow trout on a nightcrawler at the west shore
Craig Pierce of Laguna Hills, 8.55 pound rainbow trout on a Rapala at the east side
Ryan Hevvon of Costa Mesa, 7.20 pound rainbow trout on a salmon egg at the red clay cliffs
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