Any of you ever fished these ??? I hear Isabella is a relatively large lake, and has a lot of huge Florida bass, and they do plant trout ! Plus because it not close to the San Fran bay area, or the San D. / LA area, it is not likely to ever be heavily pressured. I know it has kicked out a couple 18 plus fish in the past. (I think maybe a 19 ?)
I think Kaweah is down there too...... another awesome big bass lake from what I have heard.

Have any of you fished these lakes ? How about other lakes in the central region which might be great, but relatively unknown, and lightly fished because of there location ???

Just curious,
Fish

Fish,
It's true that Isabella holds some lunkers. I live about an hour away. I grew up fishing Isabella for trout. Unfortunately my family didn't fish for Bass. The other unfortunate thing is that right now, Isabella is extremely low. The rains have however raised the water level considerably and there have already been reports of a couple bass over the 10lb mark in the last couple of weeks.

Another big drawback to Isabella is the wind. They actually have a warning system. It's several light towers strategically placed to inform you of the water conditions. When the light hits red (which isn't uncommon) you are required to dock or shore all vessels. Definitely for your own good.

Aside from those minor flaws, Isabella is a always a challenge. There are a few local club tournies held there every year. Fishing is always tuff. But for the Trophy Hunter, I would consider giving it a shot. I have a map that shows the extensive underwater cover. And there is lots of it! This should be a good year for those who trophy hunt at Isabella, due to all the new shallow cover being added from the rising water.

The best map I have found so far is by:

1-800-ALL-MAPS
Map Number A136