03-15-2003, 06:41 PM
Thursday, March 13. Picked up my fishing buddy and coworker Mel and we headed to Irvine Lake. I have fished there before and done well, but it was Mel's first time at the lake. When we arrived, we rented a boat. It was extremely foggy. Trout weather, for sure. The dockworker said the best spot was just a few hundred feet from the dock. Best bait: any Powerbait with green. So we anchored up and started fishing. Less than 15 minutes later, we were both hooked up at the same time, drags screaming and serious rod-bending. We finally netted our catch, nice-looking rainbows--not really big, but amazing fighters for their size. All the boats around us were consistently hooked up. We each landed two more chunky 'bows--mine went airborne twice! After the sun broke through, the "honey hole" shut down, so we headed for my favorite spot off the west shore. After "farming" a few fish, Mel was hooked up to the "jackpot" fish. The drag on his reel was screaming like a banshee, and the fish tried to wrap around the anchor rope. It was touch and go for a while, but he finally eased it to the side of the boat and I netted it. We started high-fiving and screaming--this rainbow had shoulders! 3 1/2 pounds on the handheld scale! We worked our way around the lake and then we saw a chilling sight--jet skiers! I think I hate jet skiers about as much as I hate terrorists. But luckily they are confined to an area where the fishing is sketchy. Jet skiers are the reason I never fish Pyramid Lake in the summer. They come roaring into the coves where you're trying to fish, totally ignoring the five mph speed limit. I am seriously thinking about having a bumpersticker made up--"Honk If You Hate Jet Skiers." But back to Irvine, we worked our way around the lake, figuring out a pattern of constantly changing or mixing together Powerbait combinations. We only had one nightcrawler fish, and I "farmed" a nice one on a Thunderbolt lure. Mel was really surprised at hard the fish fought compared to the ones at Santa Ana River Lakes which he fishes almost exclusively. The 3 1/2 pounder he caught at Irvine, he said, put up more of a battle than his personal best at Santa Ana River Lakes--a 10-pounder. We finally limited out just a little after noon. As we were driving home I asked Mel why he never tried Irvine before today. He said his brother said Irvine sucked, that he had been there a few times and had gotten skunked. Well, I said, Irvine is a tough lake for a first-timer. You really have to talk to other fishermen there to break through, so to speak. Two-pound test leaders, small treble books and the lightest weights possible. And keep changing the color of your Powerbait, or dunk it in some fish scent. When there's a nightcrawler bite, use a small hook, inflate it, and keep changing the bait if you don't get bit. Also, you have to keep changing the distance on your casts--as the sun comes up, chuck it out further. And most of all, don't be afraid to ask questions--at the tackle shop, the boat dock, and fellow shore fisherman who are always hooked up. After all, Irvine Lake doesn't really suck--but not catching fish really sucks!
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--is a great place to fish for trout in relative solitude. Another favorite of mine is the Upper Tujunga Creek watershed, way down in a steep canyon, that's full of wild trout. In fact, it's so wild, that you have to be on the look out for bears and mountain lions. And closer to civilization, there's the Santa Ana River Lakes--not much to look at--just dirt banks and a few scrubby trees--but the state record rainbow trout was caught here--26 pounds! And you can even fish the Santa Ana River system during planting season in the fall. Of course, there's also the so-called "urban" lakes such as Irvine Park Lake. The DFG plants them with pan size rainbows and catfish, depending on the season. Here's a funny story about Irvine Park Lake. About two years ago, a planting truck pulled up to the lake and dumped 5,000 pounds of really big channel cats--up to 15 pounds. The problem was that the driver had made a big mistake. The fish were supposed to go in Irvine Lake--not Irvine Park Lake! There were a lot of surprised--and happy people--catching monster cats at Irvine Lake--it even made TV evening news! So there you have it--and I haven't mentioned the great saltwater fishing--surf, jetties and sportfishing boats. But I guess you don't have it too bad in Utah. I've never been there but I've heard that the fishing is great--especially for a hard-core trout chaser like me!
