BY MIKE STEVENS
LAKE ISABELLA – Bass anglers continue to take advantage of consistent fishing at Lake Isabella that was recently highlighted by a double-digit largemouth bagged by a familiar face at “Izzie” when it comes to big bucketmouths.
SoCal guide and former WON BASS U.S. Open champ Rusty Brown (RustyBassHook.com) connected with WON after boating a 10.5-pound largemouth on one of his own Rusty’s Big Worms.
Isabella has been fishing good throughout the summer and fall should be even better.
“Bass are chasing shad all over the lake with water temps in the mid 70s and cooling,” said Brown. “Water quality is great with 2 to 4 feet of visibility, and fish are hitting on poppers, spooks, mid-diving shad cranks and Rusty’s Big worms in 8- to 10-inch Purple Magic, Black and Blue, also Oxblood with micro red flake. Rocky Point, Piney Point, also deeper tree lines in both North and South Forks in 10 to 20 feet of water have been good with Texas-rigged big worms. On the windy afternoons there has been some half-ounce chatterbait and spinnerbait fish along wind-blown rocky points and flats.”
Brown caught an 11.5 pounder at Isabella in May and an 8 in the middle of last month, and Cope’s Tackle and Rod Shop reported a 9.4-pound bass being caught in the first week of September.