T is for Trout and Tourism

Quit your wishin’, let’s go fishin’!

        Trout and Lake Isabella go together like peanut butter and jelly. You can find fishing supplies or memorabilia in most stores and during the summer, our community activities revolve a great deal around fishing. Tourism, especially fishing or doing other activities at the lake are a primary source of income for our valley.

      Our lake may be shrinking, but our optimism isn’t and there are still plenty of fish to catch and things to see and do here in the Kern River Valley.

As homeschoolers, we spend more time than others figuring out what we can do locally to get out of the house and not spend a fortune. With three kids, even low priced activities can wrack up a big bill real quick.  

Fishing and hanging out at the lake are obviously the cheapest things we can do. But something that is cheap fun for us is big business for the rest of the community. Even private businesses get in on the action, with homemade line weights, pole holders, as well as handmade lures and hooks, made my locals right here in the valley.

The recession of the lake water is having a pro/con effect on tourism, because while people can’t enjoy the water like the used to, the receding waters are uncovering ruins from Old Isabella and Old Kernville. Uncovered foundations and roads have become a tourist attraction of their own.

Have you ever visited Lake Isabella? Do you enjoy fishing or other lake activities?