IRVINE LAKE STILL HAS LURE FOR ALL AGES POPULAR ORANGE COUNTY SPOT HASN'T LOST ITS APPEAL.

Byline: BILL BECHER

IRVINE - It seems appropriate that you can take a toll road to the pay- for-play Irvine Lake in Orange County. Since the 1930s, this 700-acre lake, built by the Irvine Company and the Serrano Water District, has been stocked with largemouth bass, catfish and trout and has been open to fishing for a fee.

I'm at Irvine Lake with Ron Kovach, fishing teacher and author of a best- selling series of how-to books on fishing in California.

November to the end of May is the best time for trout at Irvine Lake. In addition to regular rainbows, the lake is stocked with a special strain of trophy-size rainbow trout, which lake management call ``PowerTrout.'' The lake-record rainbow, a 22 1/2 pounder, was caught last March by Robert Becerra. It took him an hour to land it on two-pound test line.

We don't see fish that big, but there's joy along the banks as still fishers bring in good-sized rainbows. Anglers here are allowed two rods each and can keep five trout of any size. No California fishing license is required, so a family that only fishes occasionally can save that expense. In winter, the lake is open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. The lake level is down now in anticipation of storing winter run-off, but Kovach tells me that this helps concentrate the fish.

We start by fishing the Sierra Cove, where a large pipe dumps in water, creating a bit of a river-like condition. It's not exactly a pristine Sierra spot, but then part of the Owens River runs through a pipe, too. I hook a nice rainbow on an orange and green Rapala by fishing a seam in the water as if it were a section of a Sierra river. We're fishing from a boat and it's a bit slow, but the shoreline anglers are doing well.

Kovach, who is the host of a weekly radio show for KRLA and television fishing shows for the Outdoor Network, sets us up for some trolling. We make our way back to the marina area where he's had good success recently. Kovach tells me that lake management has recently added some brown trout up to six pounds and brook trout up to four pounds, in addition to the rainbows. So it would be possible to catch an Irvine Lake hat trick of all three species.

One hundred of the rainbows have been tagged. The lake advertises that each tagged fish caught before Jan. 6 automatically receives a free gate pass. Actually, the catching angler gets the pass; the fish don't need one. Winners are also eligible for a drawing with an Outer Banks tuna fishing trip or a guided trip to the ``Power Trout Shangri-La,'' the private fishing reserve and hatchery where the lakes trout are raised, as grand prizes.

Talking with the folks fishing the banks, I find that all are repeat customers. They say they usually do well at Irvine Lake, quickly catching limits of trout.

``Fishing is my favorite thing to do in the whole world,'' says 8-year-old Ryan Wong, who is here with his father, Wally. They're fishing Power Bait, sitting patiently on the shore watching rod tips. Wally Wong says that this is their third time at the lake this year and they've managed limits every time, though so far today he says, ``All we've caught is a nap.''

Kovach tells me he likes to set a ``menu'' of different baits when still fishing. I'm fishing white glitter Power Bait, and Kovach sets up an ``Irvine Lake Cocktail,'' which is a live night crawler with a nodule of Turbo Dough above it to help float the worm off the bottom. I land a nice rainbow; it's well-colored, unlike many stocked fish.

``Light, water clarity, barometric pressure can change overnight, and what worked yesterday won't work today,'' says Kovach. ``One of the things I've taught clients and students over the years is to be adaptable. Fish with things that you have confidence in, but be ready to adapt to the prevailing conditions.''

Kovach says that his books about bass, trout and salt-water fishing in California go on the premise that 90 percent of the fish are caught by 10 percent of the anglers. He believes that the fishermen who are the most successful understand and use tips and tricks of fishing that they've learned over the years. Kovach says that his books divulge those secrets. He's culled them from trout guides, bass pros and saltwater captains.

``Stitching,'' Kovach tells me, ``Means slowly picking up the slack in the line and inching the bait along the bottom, fast enough to cover more territory but not so fast as to put the fish off.''

Another trick he's trying today is to use fluorocarbon leader material, which is nearly invisible in the water. It works: a fish decides that it's happy hour and eats the Irvine Lake Cocktail.

If you want a shot at some trophy-size trout without having to travel far, or you don't want to spend the winter waiting for the Sierra trout season to open, or you want to test your luck for a tagged trout, give Irvine Lake a try.

IF YOU FISH

Irvine Lake is located at the base of the Cleveland National Forest. Santiago Creek feeds the 700-acre lake that features steep rocky cliffs, shallow coves, deep creek channels, submerged high spots, overhanging trees and lots of stocked trout, bass and catfish. There is a kids-only fishing lagoon in addition to the lake. A fishing license is not required.

--Facilities: Launch ramp, bait and tackle store, picnic area, children's play equipment, barbeques and private-boat storage. Boat rentals available include row, motor, pontoon and bass boats. Float tubers are welcome, too.

--Getting there: Take Highway 55 to the Chapman Avenue East off ramp. Go east on Chapman Avenue for 7.5 miles (Chapman turns into Santiago Canyon Road). Irvine Lake will be on left side. Or you can take the I-5 to Jamboree Road, follow the signs to the CA-261 toll road north, then exit on Santiago Canyon Road after paying a $1 toll (bring exact change). The lake entrance is two miles on the left.

--Winter Hours: Monday-Sunday, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

--Admission: Adults - $14.00, M-Th.; $16, F-Su/holidays. Seniors/Students - $13.00, M-Thr.; $16, F-Su/holidays. Children (4-12 years old) - $8.00, M-Th.; $9, F-Su/holidays.

--More information: [phone], www.irvinelake.net

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Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Ron Kovach, author of ``Trout Fishing in California,'' fishes an Irvine Lake Cocktail, a night crawler topped with TurboBait. Top left, ``Power Trout'' planted at Irvine Lake come from a hatchery on the Merced River.

Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News

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IF YOU FISH (see text)