By Sean Glumace –
August 1, 2009Posted in: Fishing Photos, Fishing Reports, Freshwater
Finally got back out to Irvine on Sunday. Had to use our passes by the end of the month so my cousin Jason, Jonathan and I met our friend Chauhan at the lake. Got there right after 6am and it was not crowded. Part of the lake was closed off because of a Harley concert that started at 11am. Drove over to the flats area and set up right at the curve. It’s also nice that Irvine is doing the kids are free on Sundays.
As I was rigging up a catfish swam right up to the shore and was rolling around. Saw me and my son and took off. Some bass were jumping as well so we thought we picked a good spot. Chauhan brought his neighbor Shawn and his family, which included his wife 3 year old daughter and 11 year old daughter. Got everything set up and settled in.
We were fishing mac, blood bait and nightcrawlers with no bites till 9am. The bluegill started to swim in as the morning went on so I rigged up my tinylite rod and started hooking them up on mealworms. Let the kids have fun with them, I think it was the first fish the two kids had caught (outside of the Huck Pond at Santa Ana River Lakes). Got a total of 8 bluegill, most small but a few good size.
The kids had fun but everyone else was a bit impatient (no cats) so Chauhan and I decided to go rent a pontoon for the day. Ran back to the shop paid the $140 and gathered everyone together at the docks.
Headed out with everyone on board and started fishing the other side of the lake near the flats. Moved a few times and ended up on the far side of the flats. Lots of shad in the water and some bass jumping. Got a few more bluegill on the small rods and after about 2 hours decided to move over near the dam.
Jason was bringing up one of the rods that had the blood bait on it and thought he was stuck in the weeds, till it started fighting back. Brought up a nice stocker catfish for the first and only one for the day.
Stayed at the spot for a little while longer then cruised around the dam area and back towards Woody’s cover. Stopped in a few more spots, but no love. Ended up in a small cove and saw another big catfish rolling around in the shallows. Got everyone excited and they all started hunting for him. I started throwing mealworms under the trees looking for the bigger bluegill.
If I did not get the bobber right under the tree in the shadow then they would not hit the bait, but the moment I got it in under the brush they jumped all over it. I gave Jonathan the rod after hooking up to a good size bluegill but we lost it when it tangled up around one of the anchors.
Ended up with a few more and then decided to call it a day. Good day out on the water with the kids and friends. Hope to get out again this coming weekend on the flats for some cuda and sand bass.
About the Author
Sean loves to fish in Southern California and this site is his journal of his adventures in fishing. He started fishing when he was a little guy with his dad David, and has continued to this day with his family.
In his day job, Sean has been a graphic designer for over 15 years, designing everything from in-store displays and signage for supermarkets to e-commerce auction sites for an online consumer electronics company. He was a web and graphic designer then later an art director for McMullen Argus Publishing (Primedia), building and working on sites for Lowrider Magazine and Super Chevy, plus 30 other automotive magazine sites. Sean seized the opportunity to teach other aspiring designers - a passion that took him first to Learning Tree University and then to Golden West College in Huntington Beach, CA, where he has been an integral part of the renowned digital arts department for more than ten years.
Throughout his teaching career, Sean maintained a freelance business, designing for clients including the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards), Image Comics and many more. See his work at
http://www.glumace.com.
