If you live in So Cal and want to fish for trout this is one of the best places to go. The only reason they didn't earn a 5 star is unless you rent a boat you are limited to the west shore which can be a problem in the rainy season and have limited access. They stock regularly and have some good size fish. I have had good luck using power bait or if I have rented a boat trolling with lures. As another reviewer pointed out get here early and fight for your spot on the weekends it definitely gets crowded read more

I have only been here once. I came here to fish with my friend's family and had a blast. The admission price is $25 and no fishing license is required. Unfortunately, we did not catch any fish but still had a good time. Irvine Lake offers affordable boat rental - all day for 4 people ($65). This is a nice local place to relax and fish. read more

I signed up for YELP, Specifically to write this review... On july 19 2014 My family and I went camping at irvine lake for my birthday. I paid over $350 for one night of camping and fishing. I rented a pontoon boat that was valued at $150.00 and a small boat ($55) When I was at the dock. An employee that was there friday night around 7:00 pm was the only one at the dock that night, he said to me and my family, as long as we only use the pontoon boat and saved both receipts for the 55$ boat. We will get a refund of $ 55. Well when I went back to the bait shop an employee there(tall skinny male, black hair) had said to save my receipts for when I check out in the morning and I will get my refund. I didnt use the boat and I saved my receipts. I checked out at 9 am on 7/20(my birthday) and was told by kevin o leary that there is no managers available because they are at lunch. He promised a call back and he said my money would be refunded back to my card. he never called back. I called monday 7/21 and was told to call back on wed 7/23 when manager was available. I then spoke to Danielle who said she will give me 2 passes to the lake valued at 48$. I adv i wasn't happy. I paid $55 for a boat and was promised a refund (The passes she offered are worth $48) So after I told her I was unhappy, She promised me 3 passes to irvine lake to make up for the inconvenience, valued at 72$. I gave up and said I will take her offer of 3 Adult passes. Well she called me back 5 minutes later after She promised me 3 adult passes, Just to tell me she will not honor the 3 adult passes as she promised me in our previous conversationand, She said, she is just going to give me a pass for the 55$ boat that I never used and will never use because I never plan on attending irvine lake again after spending so much money($350+) and wont even honor the refund I was promised. This is about Irvine lake not refunding me my money as promised, Then having a manager call me back to make me satisfied but then calling a third time, To let me know she will not honor her offer. This is 2 times they lied to me! I actually have a receipt from kevin o leary showing i came in and had both receipts with conf # and his signature. I had him write his name down because I had a weird feeling that irvine lake was going to try and rip me off as they did. read more

Caught 3 Fish in 1 hour, I've never caught fish except the ones in my pond. I Had fun but make sure you take sunblock or you will get burned. read more

Irvine Lake is great for everything BUT fishing. It has easy access to the water, store that you can buy some food, bait, and fishing accessories. The place is clean, a track pass and clean the trash cans. The only problem is that THERE IS NO FISH. I spent the two last Sundays at the lake, saw 3 fish being caught, in 6 hours, when over 20 roads were fishing. Moved to another spot and nothing was caught within 2 HS. They claimed that fish was stocked this week. Last week the 2 fish were caught within 7hs. -No nibbling too. for $22 per person, I thing that should be some more action. Do not waste your time, find another place read more

I've going here for years since I was a kid. Learning how to fish here with my dad are still some of my fondest memories. The place has changed a little. The water seems to be lower rather than higher for most of the past few years. The far off lake in the mountains is now home to a large community and bustling city. I still love this lake, the fishing is pretty good here for the most part. Some days are better than others, but it's called "fishing" not "catching" if I'm not mistaken. read more

Fishing here Is pretty good. Easily accessible and my kids love it here. Water level is kinda low but there doing their best. Fishing from shore is really good or trolling in the center. read more

Terrible service. They were draining the lake and none of that was communicated on their website

A little more expensive than other lake or than just buying a California fishing licence but well worth the money. There is alot of fish there of all species. From bluegill to trout blue or channel cats lits of all fish. Fish there are really hungry because they don't have a abundant food supply like SARL(horrible lake fish wont bite unless you are pro). They have a tackle shop with a good helpful staff. They have baits for catfish trout bass and any panfish there. You can rent boats for 50$ for all day use (highly recommend renting a boat because fish are near rocks and stumps located across the lake over all very satisfied caught 5 trout with my day including a 5 pound rainbow. Spent 100$ in total including snacks bought at Wal-Mart read more

Irvine Lake - Lakes Near Me - Silverado, California

Cool little lake...expensive to get in... lots of people on weekends and they leave their trash...??? Tackle and store was great. Also had lunch at the little food stand...food was perfect... Small menu...we had, chicken strips, burger and fries for the kids. read more

Had a great time at the lake. Me and my buddies went fishing yesterday and caught 8 fish between us. There was a decent amount of people but not over crowded. read more

Been fishing here for a couple of years now and all though water level is low I still love getting together with my family. They stock the lake constantly so it makes it much easier for the beginners. I enjoy fishing this lake all year long will always be my favorite getaway. read more

10 years ago the fishing was good. The last 4 trips we don't even get nipples. Save your money and go somewhere else. I rent a boat so I can get all around the lake, but no luck. read more

We had a few selections for our memorial day outing and Irvine Lake was at the top. My son is really interested in fishing and we have had a few unsuccessful outings. I decided to try Irvine Lake. I knew it was expensive but I figured our chances there we higher then your average lake. We did not get a single bite. I seen only one other fisherman catch anything. My first clue that our day would not likely see a fish fry was the amount of bait floating on the shore. We were downwind and I counted 20 powerbaits floating. Checking out the website I have to admit I was excited. Seemed like a real nice lake. Looked forward to a nice relaxing day. When we got there there was a Rave going on. Loud music, half naked people. Some more then half naked. Not exactly what I was looking for on our trip. I am all for them having a spot but had there been notice on the website calendar I would have chosen another day to go. At $22 per person we got in there just shy of $100. Not really worth it in the end. read more

Came here for for the trout opener on the 6th. What could i say? It was cold, it was windy, and i skipped work just to be able to drink at 7 in the morning while fishing. What more can a man ask for! Good times read more

The closest thing to a REAL lake in Orange County. Does the trick when making the 5 hour drive to Mammoth isn't possible. Love this place, always great fishing and amazing views. read more

My 2nd time. Caught 2 cats, pretty good size. Chill day with friends so i give it a 3. Might not come back for a while though.

This is such a fun inexpensive place to take your kids to. Good for younger kids under 10

Just a short nice review of their little cafe that is inside the main store re their hamburgers. My wife and I stop by for a visit of the lake, saw the cafe. It has a stool bar counter. I order the double cheese and my wife had the single cheese. Big and Very Tasty!. My only complaint was the price! I think her's was $5 and mine was $6 (no fries). So if you are into burgers and like "Mayberry RFD" kind of cafe places?, then this is the place for you. So remember, if you want to try, save your pennies a head a time to pay for it. If it wasn't for the price, I'd rate this a litter higher in a rating and "Yes" we are in the area again, we will stop again for their burgers. read more

Went fishing Today with the family and what a headache thought my kids where ready for it big mistake they couldn't stop running and yelling. Lesson learned. Next time just me an the wife. Other than that was great for our first time fishing. Would have rated it higher but price is expensive 22 for adult and 11 for kids... read more

It's a wildlife aviary where the birds eat all the fish. We were Skunked the last THREE fishing trips. We are good anglers, but this lake is no longer good for people who can catch and who like to catch. If it were $5 or $10 to get in, no problem as it's a decent place to hang out for a Saturday morning with the kids. But at $25 admission I'm not so sure any more. I'd prefer better scenery, maybe fishing in a more natural setting. Irvine lake needs to close down for a year or two and stop stocking the lake so all the wild might choose to leave for better fishing elsewhere. read more

Didn't catch anything and we were not the only ones not even a bite. We even went to other locations of the lake and nothing. Mir was relaxing thou and loved the scenery. Just wished we would have caught some at least one fish. Was there till midnight and nothing. read more

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closed!!!! i been coming to this lake for long time. over 10 years......i guess no more irvine lake....... is been a sad day :( read more

A very big mistake coming here...spent 110 for a whole day fishing trip on a boat and did not even get a single bite. Did not see anyone catch anything either. Are there any fish here?...Expensive private lake and not worth the money in my books. read more

The good Yes, there are fish swimming in water here. We saw them. Small crowds even on a 4th of July Saturday. The OK Staff ranges from swift and friendly to surly and contentious. I learned the hard way that they have a NO RE-ENTRY policy. Again, there are fish here, but the grounds are sorta maintained. It's clearly showing its age (and perhaps low attendance?) Anyway, we will be back but only because the boys had a good time. read more

I should of listened to all preview reviews! First time taking my daughter fishing so I wanted some kind of better odds to catch a fish. Not one tiny ini bite, moved to 3 different areas but to no avail. Do not waste your money. I'm taking her fishing next week at a local lake, all I have to spend is maybe parking. And not the ridiculous $75 I wasted at Irvine Lake... read more

Moss and Weeds around the entire lake ... no way to fish from shore? I took my kids to fish kids corner and we couldn't even reach the water from shore??? I wish someone would have told me before I wasted a day and some cash. In the summer this Lake can't be fished from the shore ... don't try it. What a waste of time! The help and advice from the bait shop was very bad! Don't go ... if your driving there now, turn around! Who manages this jewel in Santiago Canyon? It's time to make a change. read more

I have fished Irvine Lake for a number of years, including a couple of tournaments there - and I never caught a fish. I did get a couple of hits on a two occasions, and am willing to admit that the reason I lost the fish may have been my fault. Every time I fish there I see a number of fish being caught, which includes some really huge ones. I keep going back because I know there are some real trophy fish in the lake and if I could catch just one of those then it would make all the times I came home empty handed worth it. The other day I went back with my brother. We were fishing from the shore, and as usual, we sat around for hours without any luck, and only saw two fish caught. We were contemplating leaving when the fish started hitting. They would come in waves. Several times my brother and I were both hooked-up at the same time. Then it would die down for a bit until the next wave would hit again. When all was said and done we each went home with a limit of really nice fish. No trophies this time, but a really fun day. I prefer trout fishing up in Bishop, but that's five or six hours away. Irvine Lake is my fix in the meantime. If your looking for a guaranteed catch then you might want to take up another sport. It's an old adage, but there's a reason it's called "fishing" and not "catching." I'll go back to Irvine Lake again - maybe soon - if for no other reason then they serve a really good breakfast burrito :-) read more

This place is a joke, I waited for several years to finally be able to bring my son fishing , and with all the hype their web site say, its not worth the price of admission. I've been fishing for 30 years and have caught hundreds of fish, I would of paid 100 for my son to catch his first fish, but again nothing. I through everything in my tackle and the even the recommended bait and still nothing. There is trash everywhere, and other fisherman are rude, be sure if you fish from the shore to rope off your fishing spot as rude people have no manners and will walk up right between your chairs and family throw a rod in the water and not say a word. They take in all of this money and talk about a "Kids" pond, why don't they fill it up with fun fish like Blue gill or something easier for the youngsters to catch and get their feet wet in the sport. I will say I did see someone catch one catfish, it was the rude Bastard that stood in between me and my son. So I do believe that they are there, but if you walk the shore line there is no life in the water. The water is very clear and to not see even one fish is an indication that fishing is poor. If you are a true fisherman you know what that means. To bring a child to a BS lake and have them go home empty handed SUCKS! I could go on, but why bother, I clearly wont be coming back. Now if Catfish is your thing and you like just sitting on bank staring out into the water for the day this is the place for you...... As for me, I need to find a lake where my son can learn the wonderful art of fishing. So if you are excited about taking your children fishing especially for the their first experience don't bother coming here and wasting your precious time or money. read more

I have no doubt that Irvine Lake was once a great fishing spot, and someday it might be again. But as of this writing, the lake is best described as a badly damaged ecosystem that isn't worth fishing on most days. The drought has clearly taken a toll on the lake. You can see the old waterline on the dam and the shore, and it's obvious that the water level has dropped many feet. The area to the left of the dock (with your back to the shore) is essentially now just a marsh. The drought has seriously harmed whatever natural fish population there once might have been. Concurrently, they sometimes stock the lake with sizeable catfish and -- apparently -- rainbow trout. On one hand this means that for a short time after stocking there will be fish worth taking there. But on the other hand, the stocked population is obviously exacerbating the problems caused by the drought. A careful observer will notice that the lake cannot currently sustain a decent population of fish. This is evidenced by the number of dead catfish and other species you'll find floating on the surface -- if you doubt this, just have a look by the area called the 'flats' where they tend to accumulate. On 7/26/14 I observed three dead cats floating around in that area. Just consider this: you know it's bad when you can dangle nightcrawlers in all the right spots and not even get a nibble from a panfish. In a healthy lake all manner of things would hit that worm, but in Irvine Lake, present day, most of your worms will simply drown rather than be eaten. If you still plan to fish this lake, make sure you go immediately after a stocking. If you go at any other time you're just throwing money away, because there is basically nothing in that lake except for what they throw in. Remember that the lake is privately owned and operated so don't expect the circumstances to change any time soon. Please note that the low rating in no way reflects upon the staff, whom I found to be friendly and helpful. read more

we've been coming to this lake for the past 5 years for a cub scout camp and the last three years have been increasingly worse. we camp at the kiddie lagoon that's supposed to be heavily stocked so the kids will have fun. last year the fishing was so bad we didn't even award our fishing trophies. ZERO fish for the whole weekend...! we didn't see a single fish caught around the lagoon. i called this year to see what's going on and the attitude of the guy i spoke with was piss poor. he implied that perhaps i don't know how to fish (i've been fishing local lakes and the sierras as well as deep sea for close to 50 years... i think i know how to fish). we pay a good chunk of money to camp here so to me this is unacceptable. don't waste your time and money here. there are far better operations with better staff than this mudhole... read more

I've been fishing Irvine lake off and on since the 70's and have always found it to be a pleasant experience fish or no fish.Yes much nicer than Corona lake or SARL . Back in the old days they just planted the average 12" trout , but you could catch all you wanted. In more recent times they have begun stocking some sort of super trout , fish up to 20 lbs .I don't really know how they grow them so large and so fast ,but I have doubts that they are normal or natural. Case in point, I went last friday and caught 1 nice fish (all day in a boat),tried every bait and technique I know.My fish finder indicated lots of fish all over the lake, I mean tons of fish.The one I landed was a slug very little fight for it's size. I decided to put this fish in my smoker ( I"ve been smoking fish for over thirty years so I know what I'm doing)I did the normal brining and used pecan wood. WARNING ! after 4 hours in the smoker Decided to try some It was horrible, Ive never never smelled anything so disgusting,or toxic ,sort of a nasty chemical burnt plastic ??????.I actually had a nightmare about it, It woke me and I could still taste/smell it This fish may be dangerous to eat .I will not go back to these local fisheries.Try Big Bear or the High Sierras. read more

I've been going to Irvine Lake since the earth cooled. It re-opened. First, it only costs $5 for parking, no other charges. The lake shore is about 3/4 of a mile away from the parking area on a dirt road. We didn't know that the first time, so we lugged all of our equipment with us, don't do that. Travel light, forget about taking anything "just in case I need it". You may only use one pole and you can't cheat because they are smart (or sneaky?) They send a female employee to pass out flyers.This lady walks the shoreline with a walkie talkie and greets you and hands you the flyer and walks away but she counts the poles and people, if you're using more than one pole, a warden shows up and writes you up before you can say "trout". You have to go when they stock it or else you will spend the rest of the day on your I phone. It gets windy around 2:00 PM. The fishing is slow but you know, they call it fishing not catching. If you're not in shape take people to help you carry stuff. Don't hump too much stuff. read more

SCAM Lake. My comments are for any parents thinking of taking their kids to the "kid pond" that you will pay $22 to accompany, and $11 for you child. I took my 4 year old daughter fishing today for the first time, in an effort to get her hooked on the sport thinking guarantee catch in a stocked kiddie pond. Instead, we spent two hours with out 1 bite. There were also 18 other parents and kids fishing there that did not get one single bite. The dad who was there for over 6 hours with his son and not one nibble i felt terrible for. Note to owner of Irvine $cam lake, if you are going to advertise like kids will catch something, live up to your ads on your website. Kids won't want to come back, and paying parents like me aren't ever coming back alone or with kids ever again. Very disappointed in false advertising and more disappointed for my kid. I have fished for over 33 years, and won't be coming back ever again. read more

D E S C R I M I N A T I N G A G A I N S T S E N I O R S ! ! Well over 50 years experience fishing this lake and numerous reviews mostly negative I have decided to give Irvine a " NEW REVIEW " just last week 4/14 I fished Irvine Lake again ..... trust me I tried to avoid coming here but I have a brother that doesn't mind spending the money to fish here even though he's been skunked as many times as I have ! .......this time we caught 5 fish ranging from 3 pounds to 1 pound . . . . and lost 4 other fish ! ..... not bad not great I did see 2 trout in the 20 pound class and one 10 pounder break water ...... bottom line skill level catches fish ..... regularly when you find them ! .... but if you can't find them . . . . you don't catch ! .... Irvine use to post their trout plant invoice for that given week to assure its customers that they were in fact planting 5000 lbs of fish every week and I always checked . . . . . they stopped doing this quite a while ago ..... WHY ? ? . . . . . my suggestion start doing it again ! .... come on Irvine what are you hiding or not ? ? ? Irvine sometimes you are your worst enemy also why not give S E N I O R S their discount 7 days a week instead of only during the week . . . . . I asked a grey haired senior at the counter why not on the weekends . . . first the response came with an attitude giving me the impression who do you think you are asking me why . . . . response because we don't need there business on the weekends we have plenty of customers then . . . . OK see this is the kind of thinking that ticks off your customers and you don't seem to give a shit ! ITS GREAT THAT YOU WANT TO HELP A LITTLE GIRL . . . . BUT ITS NOT OK TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST THAT LITTLE GIRLS GRANDPARENTS . . . . . HOW DARE YOU ! . . . . . . . America has today the largest amount of seniors in the history of this country . . . . bad idea to discriminate against this group ! BOTTOM LINE ! Inflation has taken its toll on everything and fishing is no different . . . . BAIT AND SWITCH . . . . check around these kind of bait and switch tactics are going on everywhere and I R V I N E L A K E . . . . MY GUESS THEY ARE DOING THE SAME BY STOCKING LESS AND ADVERTISING THEY ARE WHEN THERE NOT . . . SO IRVINE SHOW THE INVOICE ! . . . I GUARANTEE YOU THEY WILL NOT ! ` I personally can't afford to fish Irvine anymore and refuse to fish this hole from shore that's an even worse experience ! If you have the money and don't mind getting taken for a ride and catching fish is not a priority then have at it . . . . strongly suggest you not bring a kid here for his first fishing experience GO TO THE SAN DIEGO LAKES THE DRIVE IS WORTH IT AND THE COST REASONABLE ! MANY LAKES IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY ! ! The kids lagoon . . . . fish only day after the plant the cormorans and pelicans get most of the fish . . . . a dock hand told me about this ! If you feel ripped off COMPLAIN COMPLAIN or continue to be ripped off ! AND FINALLY STOP FISHING HERE . . . . . . JONRICK . . . CONSUMER ADVOCATE 4/25/14 read more

So today i decided to look over some of these reviews. Ive found some decent people who really know how to appreciate a place like this and understand what it means to get away from your day to day lives, it really does feel like your away from the city. To say the least people who dont appreciate this lake are just angry people who likely complain about day to day scenarios in there life-not getting what they want and assume everything should go there way. Tough luck to all you babies out there! You have no idea how much i want to bullshit on here and tell you how you sound on yelps review. But im only going to give it to you straight and let the next guy/girl who decides to write a review to look at my review and realize you choose to waste your time complaining about things you cant control. Truth is your angry and if your on here about to write a bad review, my guess would be accurate that your angry with a lot of things and its not just with this lake! ;) With that said.... im a fisherman my self, i dont fish like im a pro or claim to be. Fishing is a sport people and like every other sport comes practice! Sounds like i may have hit a little spot in your heart on that one. Now... if you dont treat it like a sport than kick back, pull up a chair and have your self a brewskie and for the ladies a nice cold lemonade and Wait.... wait.... wait...... for the one fish that will bite! And ENJOY the outdoors! OK..... lets see what your probably going to think of next, so that i can inform you what you need help on! call me Mr NICE GUY! i know im only wasting my time here but people really do need to be educated. Its only common sense.....? For the guys who think they can fish and havnt fished for years except with your dad when you were like 5-8 yrs old and think throwing a rod and line in the water is magically going to remind you how much fish you caught when you were a little kid. But truth is you dont remember your dad doing everything for you, baiting, casting and handing the rod off to you when a fish was on the line! Hehe Wow... im impressed if you lasted this long with me. Alright! lets review. Fishing is a sport and fishing as a kid and trying it now is not going to make you a pro angler. Dont be mad at your self... try a little harder and do your research or kick back and relax and wait for good fortune - (I should make that a fortune cookie). Theres a reason they call this sport "FISHING AND NOT CATCHING!" Also you may watch fishing on TV or people doing it in front of you. It may look easy but its not. BY THE WAY PROS study the lake 1-2 days a week and SEARCH AND DESTROY where the fish are. "MIND BLOWN!" Yes! they go looking for the fish and map out where they are hiding! Thats what you call WTF really#$!? Yesssss they do that because they want to have a ridiculous amount of bragging rights and of course GOOD TIMES! Now... if all of this makes sense, rethink about your post and go complain about other things and maybe fishing is just not for you! Dont make assumptions because your just going to make a DONKEY out of your self! HAVE FUN AND ENJOY WHAT LITTLE TIME YOU HAVE HERE! Its called APPRECIATE life! Its better than being at home on a lazy couch or at work counting down the minutes. SMILE! because it will open new doors and possibilities and do wonders to your health! MR NOBODY read more

First time at the lake happened this week. Once you get past the entrance fee of $23 we found a nice place to fish from the shore. We fished at the Flats and all close to limited out on rainbow trout. Using Rainbow Powerbait, and variations of color with garlic scent. Living in LA, this is a really close lake to get away from it all. For the most part of the day it was quiet with the hum of boat motors and mother nature. Then the kids started blasting their music loud enough for the whole lake to hear. Really took away from the ambiance. Only other thing I did not like was how dirty the shore was, tons of litter everywhere. For it being a private lake, I assumed they would clean it a lot better. None the less I will be back again. read more

10,000 lbs of browns and 10,000 lbs of rainbows? All you stocked was 20,000 lbs of bullcrap! I came Friday and again today and got skunked. Everyone around me is getting skunked too. People on boats, shore, doesn't matter. I've only seen about 5 fish pulled out of this lake in 2 different days from hundreds of fishermen. Use some of that money you ripped us off for and actually stock more than a few fish next time. read more

It's humorous to read some of the reviews for this lake. Irvine Lake is the closest thing that we have in Orange County to a fishing trip to the Sierra's without the long drive and huge expense of time and money. Irvine Lake is a great place to fish if you just have one day to spend fishing. It only costs $24.00 for a whole day and no fishing license is required. As far as the fishing goes, Irvine Lake is just like any other body of water.....in order to fish it successfully, you have to understand the topography of the lake, know what species you are targeting, use the proper gear (really light line for trout), correct bait, and fish in the spots you are most likely to catch the species you are targeting at the time of day you are fishing. It also doesn't hurt to read the farmers almanac data to understand when the best times to fish are. Much of the fish in Irvine Lake are stocked, but even stocked fish have feeding cycles. Listen people, it's called "fishing", not "catching" for a reason. Successful fishing on a consistent basis takes willingness to learn, understanding to implement what you learn, patience, and persistence. If you fish once a month and just drive up to a spot and sit there all day without any reason other than it's convenient for you, don't expect to catch anything. The fish don't swim to where you fish, they swim to an area that suits their liking...which is probably a long way from where you are fishing. The fact is that there are so many species of fish in Irvine Lake: trout, bass, wiper, catfish, crappie, bluegill, carp, sturgeon....that on any day of the year, 24 hours a day, there is a species that you can target and expect to be successful if you know what you are doing. The reason I give the lake 4 stars instead of 5 is because you really need a boat to fish it successfully on a regular basis; the shore fishing is intermittent at best. read more

Super grubby and not kept up well at all. It was over $100 for one night. No bathrooms or showers. Only Porta potties that have a ton of spider webs. We will not come back here. Don't come here there are much nicer places for less in Orange County. read more