Upper Kern River 20 Mile Section (north of Kern River Fly Shop to Johnsondale Bridge)
Consistent storms in the backcountry has kept the Kern running murky and fluctuating between 800 and 500 cfs. The storms, however, have helped kept water temperatures down to 68-70 degrees. Again, fish early in the morning with bright attractors like the Kern Candy, Tungsten Teddy and flashy streamers.
Check out the upper Kern 20 mile section fly packages- Click Here
Lake Isabella
Fly Fishing for Carp, Crappie, Bass and Catfish in the lake at this time is okay with water temps at 70. Muddy waters from the Kern are making anglers seek other waters to fish.
Check out Alexa with her first fish on the fly.
Lower Kern River below Isabella Lake – The Lower Kern River from Isabella dam down to democrat is flowing around 1400cfs. Fishing is not recommended at this time. Water temperatures down here is 70 degrees and bass are active. The lower Kern River from Democrat Dam to downstream to Hart Park is flowing at 1400 cfs as well. Be careful if you go fishing down here.
Lower Kern Flow Charts
California Creekin– The creeks of the Southern Sierra are fishing excellent at this time with dry flies. If you like catching wild trout in small streams, you might explore these beautiful waters.
Upper Kern River 20 Mile Section (north of Kern River Fly Shop to Johnsondale Bridge) The Upper Kern shot up to 800cfs over the weekend with muddy waters coming down from a series of thunderstorms in the backcountry and making fishing and wading difficult. Water temperature is very warm at 70-75 degrees. Fish early in the morning with bright attractors like the Kern Candy and Tungsten Teddy. Swing flashy streamers in softer water closer to the bank. Use heavier leaders and tippet from 4x-2x to bring fish in quicker especially in this hot weather.
Check out the upper Kern 20 mile section fly packages- Click Here
Lake Isabella
Flats have receded a good mile from its highest shoreline in May. Fly Fishing for Carp, Crappie, Bass and Catfish in the lake at this time is okay with water temps at 73. Carp can still be caught clooping in the morning. Muddy waters from the Kern are making anglers seek other waters to fish.
Check out Justin from BHA with a stringer of crappie over the weekend.
Lower Kern River below Isabella Lake – The Lower Kern River from Isabella dam down to democrat is flowing around 1400cfs. Fishing is not recommended at this time. Water temperatures down here is 70 degrees and bass are active. The lower Kern River from Democrat Dam to downstream to Hart Park is flowing at 1400 cfs as well. Be careful if you go fishing down here.
Lower Kern Flow Charts
California Creekin– The creeks of the Southern Sierra are fishing excellent at this time with dry flies. If you like catching wild trout in small streams, you might explore these beautiful waters.
Upper Kern River 20 Mile Section (north of Kern River Fly Shop to Johnsondale Bridge) The upper Kern is flowing between 900 to 1000 CFS and diminishing. Water temperature is 55 to 60 degrees and clear. Anglers are starting to “trunk it” as the days get warmer. Fly Fishing is excellent as the river drops everyday and trout become very active. Big fish have started to move into the upper river from Lake Isabella and double digit fish are being caught. We are seeing hatches of Yellow Sallies and Pale Morning Duns and a great imitation for the Yellow Sallie is a size 16 Yellow Stimulator . You can also swing some streamers down and across and do well. All fly fishing techniques are catching fish at this time.
Check out the upper Kern 20 mile section fly packages- Click Here
Upper Kern Wild Trout Section is fishing Excellent!
Lake Isabella
Fly Fishing for Carp, Crappie and Bass in the lake at this time is very good.
Lower Kern River below Isabella Lake – The Lower Kern River from Isabella dam down to democrat is flowing around 1000cfs. Fishing is not recommended at this time. Water temperatures down here are 60 degrees and bass are active. The lower Kern River from Democrat Dam to downstream to Hart Park is flowing at 1000 cfs as well. Be careful if you go fishing down here.
Lower Kern Flow Charts
California Creekin- The creeks of the Southern Sierra are fishing excellent at this time with dry flies. If you like catching wild trout in small streams, you might explore these beautiful waters.
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Upper Kern River 20 Mile Section (north of Kern River Fly Shop) The upper Kern is fl;owing at 1100/1200 CFS Water temperature is 55 to 60 degrees.For those of you targeting hatchery fish, the DFW stocked 3 to 6 pound rainbows in the upper Kern twenty mile section this week. Should be a fun time for kids and their families this spring. Fish are hitting streamers casting down stream and across and then stripping them back. They are also hitting BH Flashback Peasant Tail Nymphs size 18/20 Look for Yellow Sallies to be hatching around 2pm
Check out the upper Kern 20 mile section fly packages- Click Here
Lake Isabella
There are some SERIOUS numbers of Trout in the lake! The Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce stocked around 10,000 pounds of Trout . Department of Fish and Wildlife stocked another 5,000 pounds AND….5000lbs of Nebraska Tailwalkers ranging from 5-15 lbs are officially IN THE LAKE…!!!! Those that aren’t caught go up the river!
Fly Fishing for Crappie in the lake at this time is very good. I believe a world record Crappie on the fly will come out of the lake this year. All we have to beat is 14 inches and Ive seen many over that over the years. Tony Click has a 17 inch Crappie mounted in his office from the lake.
Carp fly fishing is again top notch right now for those of you who love to fly fish for Carp. Dont forget about the Fly Fishing Carp Fest May 19 and registering at the website below.
Lower Kern River below Isabella Lake – The Lower Kern River from Isabella dam down to democrat is fishing good. Water temperatures down here are 60 degrees and bass are getting active. The lower Kern River from Democrat Dam to downstream to Hart Park is fishing better now.
Lower Kern Flow Charts
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Upper Kern 20 Mile Section (north of Kern River Fly Shop)The upper Kern River from Lake Isabella north to 4 miles past the Johnsondale bridge( wild trout section) remains open to fly fishing all year. Water temperatures have dropped down to 40 degrees in the morning and warming up to 44 degrees in the afternoon. The fishing is slow early in the morning in this section, but turns on later in the day, around 2pm. A slight BWO hatch occurs around this time and Rainbows are looking up in some areas. Nymphing or using a dry dropper rig during the other times is producing a fish here and there.
Matt Vaughn with a nice rainbow on the upper Kern December 25, 2017Casey Greybehl on the Lower Kern today.
Lower Kern River below Isabella Lake – Water temperatures down here are 5 to 10 degrees warmer The DFW stocked the lower river recently and fly fishers have been doing well on hatchery fish in this section. The lower Kern has been fishing slow for bass at this time from lake Isabella dam to Bakersfield/Oildale.
Lake Isabella – Ok for Trout, fishing slow for bass and carp
4 Mile Wild Trout Section above Johnsondale Bridge is open year round- Fishing has been fair to slow in this section. On November 15, the wild trout section became catch and release only with barbless hooks. No bait is allowed in this section all year long.
South Fork of the Kern is closed until the last Saturday in April All tributaries in Tulare County are closed until the last Saturday in April.
Upcoming Clinics
Beginner Clinic #1 “Trout Tactics” Saturday January 20, 2018
Upper Kern 20 Mile Section (north of Kern River Fly Shop)The upper Kern River from Lake Isabella north to 4 miles past the Johnsondale bridge( wild trout section) remains open to fly fishing all year. Water temperatures have dropped down to 40 degrees in the morning and warming up to 44 degrees in the afternoon. The fishing is slow early in the morning in this section, but turns on later in the day, around 2pm. A slight BWO hatch occurs around this time and Rainbows are looking up in some areas. Nymphing or using a dry dropper rig during the other times is producing a fish here and there. Please check out the video below.
Lower Kern River below Isabella Lake – Water temperatures down here are 5 to 10 degrees warmer The DFW stocked the lower river recently and fly fishers have been doing well on hatchery fish in this section. The lower Kern has been fishing fair for bass at this time from lake Isabella dam to Bakersfield/Oildale. Lake Isabella – Ok for Trout, fishing slow for bass and carp 4 Mile Wild Trout Section above Johnsondale Bridge is open year round- Fishing has been fair to slow in this section. On November 15, the wild trout section became catch and release only with barbless hooks. No bait is allowed in this section all year long. South Fork of the Kern is closed until the last Saturday in April All tributaries in Tulare County are closed until the last Saturday in April.
Flows on the 20 mile section are dropping every day and the river continues to fish world class as many rainbow are being caught up and down in this section. This is the time to start fly fishing this section as water temps are holding around 60 degrees and rainbows are very active. There is a PMD Mayfly hatch around 7:30pm in this section and the fish are very aggressive at this time. Streamers are working well casting down and across and stripping back up stream in the seams. Below are some links to flies we are using at this time.
Anglers! With the large amount of rain and snow pack we have received over the past couple of months, the Upper Kern River is definitely running strong at approximately 3,100 CFS. Over the past couple of weeks, the question we have been asked the most is: When is the Upper Kern going to be safe for fishing? While this is a difficult question to answer, we are looking at mid-June, closer to July, August and September. In the past, these have been difficult months to fish due to the low water levels, but Mother Nature has changed the forecast drastically.
While we do not recommend fishing the Upper Kern in these conditions with the flows so high, there are the few that will not take no for an answer. If you must fish, stay out of the water and fish along the banks with heavily weighted nymphs and a sinking leader. Who knows, you may land one of those great trophy trout or as Mr. Humphreys did a couple of weeks ago, a Native Sacramento Pikeminnow.
Penn State’s Fly-Fishing Legend, Joe Humphreys, on the Upper Kern River with a Native Sacramento Pikeminnow.
Lake Isabella
With the Upper and Lower Kern pushing the limits with record breaking flows, we are fortunate enough to have an alternative location to fish: Lake Isabella. With the massive influx of water, which we have not had in the lake since May of 2007, these conditions are bound to create a healthy habitat and grounds for the fish to become extremely active. At the present time, here you will come across trout, bass, crappie and even carp, which are a challenge to land on the fly!
Come see us at Kern River Fly Shop and we will get you set up with some bass and crappie flies. Or, CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT AN ONLINE ORDER and we will pick them out for you. Oh, and do not forget your float tube! If you do not have one, don’t worry! We have some at the shop for purchase or rental!
Guy getting into some Crappie on Lake Isabella.Having a good time in Bakersfield!
Lower Kern
Stay far, far away from the Lower Kern, unless you are an extreme kayaker. The flows are around 5,000 CFS and extremely dangerous at this time.
Forks of the Kern
With the current flows and forecasted run off, it is going to be a couple of months before we can even access the Forks. In the meantime and after April 30th, try hitting up some of the smaller streams, creeks and tributaries running into the main Kern River.
Guy Jeans School of Fly Fishing
Come check out our new Guy Jeans School of Fly Fishing education center, which is conveniently located next to Kern River Fly Shop. Here you will find a separate area solely dedicated to teaching. This is where we hold a portion of our Beginner, Advanced, Intermediate and guide training courses.
Introducing our new online booking system for Guy Jeans Fly Fishing Guide Service. Whether you are interested in an Extended Full-Day Guide Trip to the Forks of the Kern, a Full-Day Float Trip on the Lower Kern for bass, or a Half-Day Beginner Package, we have many options available for you and your guests. Pick the date and book it now before it is too late! BOOK A GUIDE TRIP NOW.
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20-Mile Section of the Kern (From Kern River Fly Shop to Johnsondale Bridge) Open Year round!
The 20 mile stretch is fishing well from our fly shop up to Hospital Flat. The water temperature is 42 degrees near Kernville and 39 degrees up river past Fairview Campground. Check the latest fly fishing reports videos below.
Temperatures are dropping down to the low 30s in the evening and mid 40s throughout the day. Great hatch in the evening of very small Midges and BWO’s. Here are some great imitations to look at.
4 mile Wild Trout Section Open Year round! ( Above Johnsondale Bridge 4 miles) Special regulations- No BAIT OR BARBS on your hooks. Open Year round! Catch and Release only!
Lower Kern ( Below lake Isabella) fishing for trout is slow- Open Year Round!
World Class “Forks of the Kern” Fly Fishing Closed
