Photo by Jennifer Shepard
With temperatures ranging from summertime to heat waves, Lake Isabella has had a great week of fishing and hunting. Catfishing on the lake is incredibly excellent a few hours after sunset. The D8 hunting zone is producing archery season bucks.
Something that drives me during the end of the summer is the return of better bites. Fishing starts to pop off on the lake as the weather slows down and fall approaches. Channel catfish are becoming more active in the cooler, oxygenated waters of the primary dam side of Lake Isabella. Catching channel cats in the late summer is fun, especially if you find a good hole.
I often find the points around French Gulch, Boulder Gulch, and Engineers Points to offer epic nights of fishing. I often reminisce about a late summer fishing experience with my brother Luke, fishing in French Gulch, where we caught limits of catfish under a full moon. We both enjoy a simple double dropper loop setup, with a half-ounce to one-ounce weight on the end, so you can quickly get to deeper waters.
I often find that with shad on one hook and a crawler on the other, I tend to at least get bites quicker. However, when all else fails, I’ll slob a hook-up with Garlic Powerbait and typically get hits with this. Channel cats are not picky eaters, so a few baits work: cut pieces of shad, chicken livers, nightcrawlers, or commercially prepared stink baits.
September is a transitional weather month, with summer ending and fall approaching. So, you can expect to see a bass of good size if you are a savvy angler. Bass change in September, so you begin the month like you would fish for them in summer by fishing deep. And by the end of the month, you will be using fall fishing tactics.
Topwater action will improve as the water cools and the fish becomes more aggressive. Depending on the weather pattern, they might be shallow or deep. On hot days, fish deep with either medium or deep-diving crankbaits. On cooler days, later in the month, you’ll see shallow and topwater lures start to work.
D8 is a great zone to hunt with big bucks, but you must work. Bucks are active right now in the early mornings til the temps begin to rise; after the heat comes, they will be looking to bed down and not overstress themselves. And then become active again as the evening comes. Please put in the time to scout and look for signs of deer in the area, such as scat, beds, or the native plants they like to eat. Hunters must possess a zone appropriate deer tag, being valid in the archery or general season. And use the right methods of take. California Department of Fish and Wildlife provide general area advice, specific to the zone you may want to hunt. Look at that and maybe incorporate it into what you know about the zone.
Tight lines and leave no trace.
