Lake Irvine is a reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 in Orange County, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The lake is on Santiago Creek

Santiago Creek

Santiago Creek is a major watercourse in Orange County in the U.S. state of California. About long, it drains most of the northern Santa Ana Mountains and is a tributary to the Santa Ana River...

, is located northeast of the city of Irvine

Irvine, California

Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...

 close to Irvine Regional Park.

The lake is formed by the Santiago Dam

Santiago Dam

Santiago Dam is an earth/rockfill dam across Santiago Creek in Orange County, in the U.S. state of California, forming Irvine Lake. The earth dam and its reservoir serve for flood control and recreational purposes. It lies upstream from the city of Orange and north of Irvine...

, at the lake's north end, which was built between 1929 and 1931, and the lake was originally called the Santiago Reservoir. The dam was built by the Irvine Company

Irvine Company

The Irvine Company is a privately held real estate development company based in Newport Beach, Orange County, Southern California. The corporate center of the company lies in Newport Center. A large portion of its operations are centered in and around the City of Irvine, a planned city of 250,000...

 (the private developers of the city of Irvine) and the Serrano Irrigation District (now called the Serrano Water District); it is now administered jointly by the Serrano Water District and the Irvine Ranch Water District

Irvine Ranch Water District

Irvine Ranch Water District is a California Special District formed in 1961 and incorporated under the . IRWD headquarters are located in Irvine, California....

. The lake provides drinking water to Villa Park

Villa Park, California

Villa Park is a city in northern Orange County, California, near and surrounded by the City of Orange, and close to Anaheim Hills, that incorporated in 1962. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 5,812, down from 5,999 at the 2000 census, achieving the status of the smallest city in...

 and some parts of Orange

Orange, California

Southern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...

, and provides supplementary irrigation water to neighbouring ranches.

Access to the lake is via Santiago Canyon Road, the road leading from Orange

Orange, California

Southern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...

 to Silverado

Silverado, California

Founded in 1878, Silverado , a California Historical Landmark, is an unincorporated community in Silverado Canyon, which is located in the Santa Ana Mountains in eastern Orange County, California. Portions of the town sit on a former Mexican land grant Rancho Lomas de Santiago. The majority of...

. The Cleveland National Forest

Cleveland National Forest

Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres , mostly of chaparral, with a few riparian areas. A warm dry mediterranean climate prevails over the Forest. It is the southernmost National forest of California. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, a government agency within...

 is on the northeast side of the lake.

Stocked with largemouth bass

Largemouth bass

The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...

, catfish

Catfish

Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...

, trout

Trout

Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...

 and crappie

Crappie

Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...

,the lake fishery opened to the public in 1941. The land around the lake is owned by the Irvine Co., which leases the fishing, boating, and camping concessions to a SWD Recreation Inc.

External links

• IRWD's page on Irvine Lake
• Recreational information, the website of the consessionaire
• Irvine Range Land Reserve's page on the lake
• http://www.HookUpSportfishing.com/ - Current fishing reports and tips.