Irvine Lake trout congregating at Woody’s Cove in morning; crappie perk up in afternoon

Here's this week's Irvine Lake fishing report, written by veteran angler Steve Carson:

Fishing stayed interesting all day long this week at Irvine Lake, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The trout bite way in the back of Woody’s Cove was phenomenal this week," observed Getty. "They are trying to spawn back there, and if you are good at sight fishing, you can do incredibly well. Early morning was also a good time for bank anglers along the west shore, with most of them using Power Bait or Mice Tails. Once the breeze comes up in the afternoon, the crappie fishing has also really taken off."

Getty added, "We also had a big 55-inch sturgeon caught and released. It most likely would have broken the lake record of 49.6 pounds for the species if we had weighed it."

Irvine Lake Pro Team leader Marlon Meade was hammering the crappie almost every afternoon this week. "There are a lot of crappie running from 1 to 1 3/4 pounds right now," noted Meade. "The bigger ones over 2 pounds probably won't start to show until the nighttime hours begin on June 10. Best results have been drifting at 15 to 20 feet in the mid-flats area. The bite is very good from about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., using pearl-white 2-inch Berkley Rippletail Grubs with a 1/8-ounce head."

Trout and catfish plants for Southern California and Eastern Sierra during the week beginning May 31

Barring adverse weather, water or road conditions, the following is a list of Southern California and Eastern Sierra waters, listed by county, that will be stocked with rainbow trout or channel catfish throughout the week of May 31 by the Department of Fish and Game:

Trout:

VENTURA: None.

SANTA BARBARA: None.

ORANGE: None.

LOS ANGELES: Castaic Lake, Elizabeth Lake, Jackson Lake and Pyramid Lake.

SAN DIEGO: Cuyamaca Lake.

IMPERIAL: None.

RIVERSIDE: Perris Lake.

SAN BERNARDINO: None.

KERN: Cuddy Creek Pond.

INYO: Bishop Creek (Lower fork), Pleasant Valley Reservoir and Rock Creek Lake.

MONO: Bridgeport Reservoir, Buckeye Creek, Convict Lake, Grant Lake, Gull Lake, June Lake, Lee Vining Creek, Little Walker River, Lundy Lake, Mill Creek, Robinson Creek, Rock Creek (section 1 and section 2), Rush Creek, Owens River (section 3), Silver Lake, Virginia Creek, Twin Lakes Bridgeport (Upper and Lower) and West Walker River (section 2 and section 3).

Catfish:

LOS ANGELES: Cerritos, Downey, El Dorado, La Mirada, Peck Rd, Pudding Stone, Santa Fe and John A Ford Park.

Photo: Trout being prepared for pan frying. Credit: Los Angeles Times

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Irvine Lake crappie going wild

Here's this week's Irvine Lake fishing report, written by veteran angler Steve Carson:

The crappie population at Irvine Lake was on full display this week, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "We have been seeing a lot of crappie limits this week," Getty said. "During our big crappie tournament, a 10-year-old boy caught the winning limit of fish, which weighed a total of 7 pounds, 8 ounces. Several other limits were filled by slabs that averaged well over a pound apiece."

Getty tipped, "Many different techniques and lures are working. Crappie are being caught by trolling, casting, and drifting. Good lures include Atomic Tubes, Gulp! Grubs, and even Rapalas."

Trout anglers scored well using two different approaches. Most trouters dropped down three to six colors of leadcore line followed by a firetiger-color CD05 Rapala or a cop car-color Luhr Jensen Needlefish. Bait dunkers soaking Power Bait also found several large schools of trout in the Woody’s Cove area.   

The annual Masters tournament was held on Sunday, with excellent action and many heartbreaking losses of big fish. Tim Blackshire of Ontario took top honors with his 5-12 rainbow; garnering a package including the coveted "Masters jacket" and trophy, an unlimited one-year pass to the lake, $1,250 in cash, and more, with a total value of nearly $10,000.

Trout and catfish plants for Southern California and Eastern Sierra during the week beginning May 23

Barring adverse weather, water or road conditions, the following is a list of Southern California and Eastern Sierra waters, listed by county, that will be stocked with rainbow trout or channel catfish throughout the week of May 23 by the Department of Fish and Game:

Trout:

VENTURA: Reyes Creek.

SANTA BARBARA: None.

ORANGE: Trabuco Creek.

LOS ANGELES: Castaic Lake, Cuddy Creek Pond, Elizabeth Lake, Jackson Lake and Pyramid Lake.

SAN DIEGO: Cuyamaca Lake and Doane Pond.

IMPERIAL: None.

RIVERSIDE: Perris Lake.

SAN BERNARDINO: Arrowbear Lake, Big Bear Lake, Green Valley Lake, Gregory Lake, Miller Canyon Creek, Mojave Narrows Regional Park Lake and Seccombe Park Lake.

INYO: Baker Creek, Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek (Lower, Middle, South forks and Intake II), Diaz Lake, Georges Creek, Goodale Creek, Independence Creek, Lone Pine Creek, Owens River (section 2 and section 3), Shepherd Creek, Symmes Creek, Taboose Creek and Tinnemaha Creek.

MONO: Bridgeport Reservoir, Convict Creek, Convict Lake, Grant Lake, Gull Lake, June Lake, Lee Vining Creek, Little Walker River, Lundy Lake, Mammoth Creek, Mill Creek, McGee Creek, Robinson Creek, Rock Creek (section 1 and section 2), Rock Creek Lake, Rush Creek, Silver Lake, Virginia Creek, Twin Lakes Bridgeport (Upper and Lower) and West Walker River (section 2 and section 3).

Catfish:

ORANGE: Carr Park Lake, Centennial Park Lake, Eisenhower Park Lake, Greer Park Lake, Huntington Lake, Laguna Lake, Mile Square Park Lake, Ralph Clark Park Lake, Tri-City Park Lake and Yorba Regional Park Lake.

 Photo: A string of trout on the frozen surface of Lake Sabrina on opening day of the 2008 Eastern Sierra trout season. Credit: Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times

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Big Bear Lake's 'Fishin' for $50K' Trout Derby registration open

Registration is open for anglers interested in participating in Big Bear Lake’s "Fishin' for $50K Trout Derby." The third annual tournament, scheduled Saturday and Sunday, June 11-12, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., offers the chance for a lucky angler who catches the grand-prize tagged trout to net $50,000 (the tags will look similar to that in the photo above, from the inaugural tournament, though will be a different color to thwart possible cheating).

"We're calling all bounty hunters, or in this case bounty anglers, to come up to Big Bear to catch a tagged trout worth $50,000," said Big Bear Lake Resort Assn. Chief Executive Rick Shoup. "The grand prize is no pocket change."

There will be a total of 10 tagged trout planted, including the one particular fish worth the top prize. Prizes for the other nine fish include Big Bear lodging and adventure packages.

In addition to the tagged trout, anglers who catch the largest fish by weight in four classes -- adult male, adult female, male child younger than 16 and female child younger than 16 -- will be awarded prizes. There will also be a bonus prize of $500 awarded to the overall largest trout by weight caught using Berkley PowerBait.

The entry fee is $40 for adults and $25 for children under 16. The tournament is limited to the first 750 registrants.

Free entry will be given to those who stay at least one night June 10-12 at a participating Big Bear Lake Resort Assn. lodge, and to anglers who rent a pontoon boat at a participating marina in Big Bear Lake the weekend of the tournament. 

An awards ceremony will take place June 12 at 3 p.m. in the Big Bear Visitor Center parking lot. The ceremony will include a raffle, with thousands of dollars' worth of fishing gear, bait and tackle from national manufacturers up for grabs. Prizes for tagged fish that have not been redeemed, with the exception of the $50,000 grand prize tagged fish, will be donated to the raffle.

Read the rules, or go online or call (800) 424-4232 to register for the tournament. Registration may also be completed online, by mail or by fax.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: A tagged trout similar to this could be worth $50,000. Credit: Dan McKernan / Big Bear Lake Resort Assn.

Trout and catfish plants for Southern California and Eastern Sierra during the week beginning May 16

Barring adverse weather, water or road conditions, the following is a list of Southern California and Eastern Sierra waters, listed by county, that will be stocked with rainbow trout or channel catfish throughout the week of May 16 by the Department of Fish and Game:

Trout:

VENTURA: Reyes Creek.

SANTA BARBARA: None.

ORANGE: None.

LOS ANGELES: Castaic Lake, Cuddy Creek Pond, Elizabeth Lake and Pyramid Lake.

SAN DIEGO: None.

IMPERIAL: None.

RIVERSIDE: Diamond Valley Lake, Hemet Lake, Lake Fulmore and Strawberry Creek.

SAN BERNARDINO: Big Bear Lake, Jenks Lake, Santa Ana River, Silverwood Lake and South Fork of the Santa Ana River.

INYO: Baker Creek, Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek Dam Intake No. 2, George Creek, Goodale Creek, Independence Creek, Lone Pine Creek, lower Bishop Creek, Middle Fork Bishop Creek, Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Shepherd Creek, South Fork Bishop Creek, Symms Creek, Taboose Creek and Tinemaha Creek.

MONO: Bridgeport Reservoir, Convict Creek, Mammoth Creek and McGee Creek.

Catfish:

LOS ANGELES: Alondra Park lake, Belvedere Park lake, Downey Wilderness Park Lake, Echo Park lake, Hansen Lake, Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, lake in Hollenbeck Park, Lincoln Park lake and MacArthur Park Lake.

Photo: A trout breaks the surface at the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery near Independence. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

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Fish and Game Q&A: Is a duck still a duck once it becomes sausage?

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly Q&A column:

Question: My question is about possession of waterfowl when processed. A friend shot more than 250 ducks in the just-completed waterfowl season, so I asked him if he was breaking the law by having more than 14 ducks in possession. He said no because he had them regularly processed into duck sausage, and once processed they’re considered out of your possession. Is this correct? Another friend saves all his ducks throughout the 100-day duck season and then gives them all to a butcher to process into sausage. He contends if you process the meat through a meat grinder, then it’s not considered part of the possession limit anymore because it’s now processed.

If you smoke your ducks or process them through a meat grinder and put them in your freezer, are they then out of your possession? A clarification of the "in possession" rule would be greatly appreciated. (Mike)

Answer: Your friends are mistaken and could be cited for possessions of overlimits. Generally, the daily bag limit is seven ducks, and the possession limit is two daily bag limits. Possession is defined as "fresh, frozen or otherwise preserved ..." (California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 1.17). Making sausage only preserves the birds; they are still in possession until eaten or given away.

Irvine Lake sees crappie, trout, bass on the bite

Here's this week's Irvine Lake fishing report, written by veteran angler Steve Carson:

Trollers scored the lion's share of the trout this week at Irvine Lake, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "Trolling at 15 to 30 feet with  shad imitations like Needlefish or Rapalas is working pretty well," Getty said. "Shore anglers are catching trout very early in the a.m. on Mice Tails, Pinched Crawlers and Power Bait. Best areas were the west shore, near the dam, and Santiago Flats."

Crappie anglers continue to score limits using a couple of methods, reported Pro Team leader Marlon Meade. "Trollers are doing very well on the crappie using anything with a shad pattern trolled about 10 yards outside of the trees and off the cliffs," Meade said. "Drifting with Atomic Tubes at 15 feet in the same areas is also working very well for slabs up to about a pound. The fish are mostly spawned out at this point."

Bass anglers are finding fish in both pre-spawn and post-spawn conditions. Some topwater action is available early, but the mostly 2- to 7-pound largemouth are spread out at 1- to 40-foot depths, and are hitting best on various plastics and jigs.

Trout and catfish plants for Southern California and Eastern Sierra during the week beginning May 9

Barring adverse weather, water or road conditions, the following is a list of Southern California and Eastern Sierra waters, listed by county, that will be stocked with rainbow trout or channel catfish throughout the week of May 9 by the Department of Fish and Game:

Trout:

VENTURA: None.

SANTA BARBARA: None.

ORANGE: None.

LOS ANGELES: Jackson Lake.

SAN DIEGO: None.

IMPERIAL: None.

RIVERSIDE: Hemet Lake.

SAN BERNARDINO: Arrowbear Lake, Green Valley Lake, Lake Gregory, Miller Canyon Creek, Mojave Narrows Regional Park lake and Seccombe Park Lake.

INYO: Baker Creek, Big Pine Creek, Lone Pine Creek, lower Bishop Creek, lower Owens River from Stewart Lane to Laws and Rock Creek Lake.

MONO: Bridgeport Reservoir, Convict Lake, Grant Lake, Gull Lake, June Lake, Lee Vining Creek, lower Twin Lake near Bridgeport, Robinson Creek, Rock Creek from French Camp to upper bridge at Rock Creek Lodge, Rock Creek from Paradise Lodge to Tuff Campground, Rush Creek, upper Twin Lake near Bridgeport and West Walker River Section 2.

Catfish:

SAN DIEGO: Chollas Reservoir, Lindo Lake and Murray Reservoir.

Photo: Rainbow trout. Credit: Los Angeles Times

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Irvine Lake crappie go on a tear as trout move deeper

Here's this week's Irvine Lake fishing report, written by veteran angler Steve Carson:

Crappie anglers have a lot to be happy about at Irvine Lake this week, noted Irvine Lake Pro Team leader Marlon Meade. "Drifting in 12 feet of water along the red clay cliffs has been easy limits on crappie in the 1 to 1.5 pound range," said Meade. "Best time is from about 1 to 3 p.m., and the best lures were pearl-white 2-inch Berkley Power Minnows rigged on a 1/16 ounce leadhead. The fish are in the spawn right now. We are really looking forward to the 'Crappie Classic' tournament on May 21, which will be the largest crappie tournament in the history of Southern California."

Meade added, "This week we saw two bald eagles trying to catch trout; it was a spectacular sight!"

General Manager Melanie Montoure announced that opening day of the summer catfish season will be June 10. Some 10,000 pounds of channel catfish in the 2- to 6-pound range will be stocked just before that date to supplement the substantial natural population of both channel cats and monstrous blue cats, with the lake record blue cat standing at 89 pounds.

Trout plants for Southern California and Eastern Sierra during the week beginning May 2

Barring adverse weather, water or road conditions, the following is a list of Southern California and Eastern Sierra waters, listed by county, that will be stocked with rainbow trout throughout the week of May 2 by the Department of Fish and Game:

VENTURA: Reyes Creek.

SANTA BARBARA: None.

ORANGE: Trabuco Creek.

LOS ANGELES: Castaic Lake, Cuddy Creek Pond, Elizabeth Lake and Pyramid Lake.

SAN DIEGO: None.

IMPERIAL: None.

RIVERSIDE: Diamond Valley Lake, Lake Fulmore, Perris Reservoir and Strawberry Creek.

SAN BERNARDINO: Big Bear Lake, Jenks Lake, Santa Ana River, Silverwood Lake and South Fork of the Santa Ana River.

INYO: Lone Pine Creek and lower Bishop Creek.

MONO: None.

Photo: Trout jump out of the water after bits of feed in a holding pond. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

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Irvine Lake trout and crappie active; 12-0 rainbow largest of week

Here's this week's Irvine Lake fishing report, written by veteran angler Steve Carson:

Both trout and crappie aficionados had plenty to smile about at Irvine Lake this week, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The trout fishing perked back up this week, probably due to the cooler-than-average temperatures," observed Getty. "The trolling picked up along the west shore and near the dam, and the bait fishing stayed good at Woody’s Cove and the flats."

Irvine Lake Pro Team leader Marlon Meade has been hammering on the lake’s crappie population this week. "The crappie spawn is happening right now, and it’s pretty much limit-style action," Meade said. "The fish are in 10 to 14 feet of water, back up in Santiago Flats. Results are much better when the sun is shining, and drifting after 1 p.m. is the hot ticket right now.  Hottest lure has been a 2-inch pearl white Gulp! Minnow, rigged on a 1/16 ounce jighead."

Trout trollers did well with firetiger-color Rapala CD05s, brook-trout-color Jointed Rapala J05s, and chartreuse/red head Rapala XR04 X-Raps, and some anglers are dragging them on two or three colors of leadcore line. Bait dunkers scored with Berkley Mice Tails, Gulp! Pinched Crawlers and Power Bait. Most trout on the stringers ranged from 2 to 5 pounds, with a few larger specimens to 12 pounds keeping things interesting.