Isabella lake increased this week to 44 percent of its capacity and continues to slowly rise. The crappie bite has been great for some and slow for others. These fish are still holding out in deeper offshore structure. The anglers putting in the time and finding scattered schools that are suspended have been successful. Some of these slabs are over two pounds and there have been some nice stringers coming out. Our contacts reported the best action was with large jigs and medium live shiners. Isabella is scheduled for a trout plant next week by DFWL. Trout have been coming on minijigs, spinners, garlic scented Powerbait, and Garlic doused Pinched Crawlers. Catfish continue to bite well out in deeper water around 70-feet, or where there are giant shad schools. As you motor around look for big schools of shad and there is a good chance the whiskerfish are in there chewing on them. These fish have been biting almost any vibrating jig that resembles shad. The bass bite has been slow and remain out in deeper water. The Annual Isabella Lake Fishing Derby is going to be held during March 23-25, 2024. For more information contact Copes Tackle or visit KernRiverValley.com.