Beautiful weather and a steady influx of water meant perfect trout fishing conditions at Irvine Lake this week, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The water was still coming in this week, so the hotspot was definitely Sierra Cove", observed Getty. "Our annual 'Masters Tournament' had great fishing, with one of the biggest and most beautiful steelhead we have ever caught at the lake making Wil Wright of Anaheim our new champion."

Getty added, "Wright won a year-long pass to the lake, a Daiwa reel, and $1,000 in cash. This upcoming weekend will be our Sierra in the City Tournament, featuring the $10,000 tagged trout nicknamed 'Benjamin'."

New Masters Champion Wil Wright related, "The big one [15-5 steelhead] hit at 7:45 AM, and immediately took out about 40 yards of drag, then jumped twice. It was about a 20 minute fight, and I also caught 4 other normal-size trout. We were rigged up with 4-pound test leaders that were 12 inches long, and using rainbow garlic PowerBait in Sierra Cove."

Second place in The Masters was Kyle Crisanti, who said, "I was fishing from shore using a 2-pound test leader 18 inches long, with garlic PowerBait combined with a whole nightcrawler to catch my 11-9 rainbow. The fish hit a little before 8 AM, and I also released a good-size bass just before that."

Local guide Hubert Zimara of KFGS Guide Service noted, "We have done very well while trolling; either flatlined, or with 2 colors of leadcore line. Best lures have been a Rapala Taildancer TD07 flatlined in the AM hours, or a Rapala Countdown CD03 on leadcore in the afternoon. Mid-lake and near the dam have been best for us, and it is important that you troll as slow as possible; only about 0.9 to 1.7 mph."

Bass anglers continued to score substantial numbers of 2 to 5-pound largemouth. Hotspots were almost anywhere there is freshly-flooded vegetation, and the fish were hitting on plastics, spinnerbaits, and a variety of other offerings. Anglers are reminded that all bass species are catch and release at Irvine Lake.

Even the Kids Lagoon was producing its peak action of the year, according to Pro Team leader Marlon Meade. "This Saturday was probably the most wide-open the Kids Lagoon has been all year", remarked Meade. "There were at least 400 trout caught for our annual Ike Walton kids event at the Lagoon. The fish were going crazy for orange/white Mice Tails."

Surface temperature on the main lake is in the mid-60's, and the lake level continued to rise, with incoming water expected to cease sometime this week. This coming Saturday April 19 will feature the Sierra in the City" event, with thousands of dollars in cash and prizes, along with "Benjamin", the tagged trout worth $10,000.

Outstanding catches of the week at Irvine Lake included:

Kyle Crisanti of Fullerton, 11-9 rainbow trout on PowerBait/nightcrawler combo at the west shore

Devon Vega of Huntington Beach, 10-0 rainbow trout on an Excel lure at mid-lake

Bill Wright of Anaheim, 15-5 steelhead on PowerBait at Sierra Cove

Kyle Crisanti of Fullerton, 7-8 largemouth bass [released] on nightcrawlers at the west shore

Hubert Zimara of Silverado, 4-1 channel catfish on nightcrawlers at the west shore

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