Hey bassnet, nice fish :) That fish has a quite a tail on it.

Fongster, I get skunked all the time. I'm totally used to it by now!

How many followers you get depends a lot on water clarity. You'll get a lot more followers when the water is warmer as well, like in May and June.

I think if you take some plugs over to the vine and throw them consistently, you'll get at least one good fish this year. Let the conditions tell you what plug to use. If it's muddy or cloudy with choppy water, throw some Slammer. I don't know if Irvine has any wood, but the Slammer is great when you slowly crawl it around a piece of wood. If it's clear water, try a generic flat back swimbait or any one of the dozens of baits that are out now. I bet you'll get a good one.