Irvine Lake trout bite is ‘absolutely wide open’

Huntington Beach angler Frank Duarte, pictured above, used a yellow-and-white mini-jig to entice this beautiful 12.2-pound rainbow trout onto his hook during a recent excursion to Irvine Lake.

Orange resident Nick Holiguin, pictured below, used Power Bait and night crawlers to fill an impressive limit at the scenic reservoir alongside Silverado Canyon Road.

"The trout fishing has been absolutely wide-open every day since the opener" last  Friday, reports Jimmy Getty from the Pro Shop. "The fish have just been going bananas. The west shoreline looks like a popcorn machine every morning as the bite indicators shoot up.

"We have been selling double-limit and triple-limit passes within an hour of opening the gates. Fish are being caught at the west shore, the flats, Sierra Cove, anywhere and everywhere."

Most of the trout are 1 to 5 pounds, but fish to 13.1 pounds were caught.

Getty suggests bait over trolled lures. "Power Mouses," constructed with Gulp, salmon egg and Power Trout worm in color combinations of white, chartreuse, orange and green are working best.

Of course, that seems like a lot of work. Traditional Power Bait and night crawlers are working too.

Getty says a few anglers have scored so-called grand slams, catching rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, channel catfish and bluegill in one day.

The lake is open from 6 a.m.-4 p.m.

– Pete Thomas

Photos courtesy of Irvine Lake