Crappieeeeeeeeee - Lake Isabella

Brandon Sakasegawa - Crappie

Hey Gang - If you are into Crappie Fishing, check this out - -

From: Mike Sakasegawa
Sent: Monday, May 04, 2009 10:49 AM
To: Bob Hara; Mike Naoe
Subject: Crappieeeee

Hey Bob, Mike.... Brandon a friend of mine Stan and I took a 1 day trip out to Lake Isabella this past weekend and the crappie fishing was great. I included a few pictures. We caught all the fish in the early morn between 1am and 6am, and released about 50% of what we caught. For those interested in going, i'd say its almost prime time there. Right now, you might try fishing by the French Gulch Marina as we did, but in a week or so, as the weather warms up (which should allow the winds to settle and be more consistant), day time fishing via boat should be also prime.

The lake is extremely low, so for those planning on going, here's some info:

- Bobber fishing is probably best for the shore (even so, we caught around 40-50 crappie with non-optimal tackle - mini jigs on straight tie)

- North Fork Marina no longer exists. It has been moved to the French Gulch Marina area for the foreseeable future.

- 2 to 4 pound test is best. The fish differ in size, with most running between a 1/4 and 1/2 pound.

- If Bobber fishing, a number of anglers were using Berkeley "crappie bites" off the bobber. This seemed very productive.

- A day trip or a weekend trip is do-able. From LA, the drive is roughly a non-stop 3 hours.

- There are campsites right on the lake for those who wish to try camping.

I've included some pics of the Black Crappie we caught. Deep fried, they're the best fresh water fish around. I've also included a pic of the lower Kern which comes out of Isabella below the dam. Its a very sad case as what is normally an extremely dangerous river, is reduced to a meandering stream. It can still be dangerous in parts due to the fast elevation drop, but its nothing what it normally is.

Good luck to those who wish to give it a try!

I've included some pics of the Black Crappie we caught. Deep fried, they're the best fresh water fish around. I've also included a pic of the lower Kern which comes out of Isabella below the dam. Its a very sad case as what is normally an extremely dangerous river, is reduced to a meandering stream. It can still be dangerous in parts due to the fast elevation drop, but its nothing what it normally is.

Good luck to those who wish to give it a try!

Thanks for the report Mike - That looks fun