The Kern River f lows southward just over 165 miles from its headwaters near Mount Whitney all the way to the flatlands of Bakersfield and beyond. The river’s flows are joined by the Little Kern River and the South Fork of the Kern, then encounter the dam at Lake Isabella. The lower Kern River then flows south from the dam a total of 65 miles. The upper Kern River, the river above Lake Isabella all the way up into the Golden Trout Wilderness, is known for its trout fishery, including even golden trout in the upper reaches, but like many California trout streams, the upper Kern has suffered from the prolonged and continuing drought. The lower Kern River is less well known to fly fishers, but its miles of faster-moving water offer a great opportunity to fish for smallmouth bass, and spring and summer are the best times to fish it.
Between Bakersfield and Lake Isabella, Highway 178, a scenic, winding, mostly two-lane road, takes you through the Kern River Canyon as the road hugs and crosses the river. Starting at the dam below Lake Isabella, the first point of access, the Keysville Special Management Recreation Area, straddles both sides of the river. It offers free disbursed camping, but there are no services except vault-style toilets. The south side provides access to some attractive water, while the north side has more parking, more camping areas, and way too many access points to list.
This section is known for its massive boulders, deep, fast-moving water, and steep canyon walls. Smallmouth bass are normally found in pockets of water behind boulders, in the eddies, under cut banks, and lurking near hidden underwater structures such drowned trees and brush. Nymphing is productive in tight pockets of water, but because the Kern here is deep and strong, the tactics that work best are direct and to the point: you must get the line out there — casts of over 50 feet in some spots, if you are lucky enough to find room for a back cast — and you must quickly sink the fly deep into the river. Fishing streamers on a weighted shooting head attached to a sinking line is another way to go. Stripping Woolly Buggers and shad patterns works well here, because the spillway at Lake Isabella spits out a lot of food that travels downstream.
Just a few more miles downstream, though, you have access to some very deep, but slow-moving water. In the summer, floating lines rigged with big surface flies such as mouse patterns, Chernobyl Ants, poppers, and the like can attract the interest of smallmouth bass. There are not too many areas here that offer good wading, but plenty of large rock structures are within range of a simple roll cast.
On Old Kern River Canyon Road (CR 214), accessed from Highway 178 at the turn-off for Borel Road at the nowclosed Edison Power Plant and just a few miles past Sandy Flats Campground, is the now-closed Hobo Campground and access to Miracle Hot Springs. This is a prime fishing area with pocket water, cut banks, and deep pools. You can hike upstream through the closed campground all the way to Sandy Flats Campground. This section of the lower Kern has some very wide and deep pools north of the parking lot, with not very much wading access and deep, strong currents. This is a good area for large top-water flies or for stripping Matukas, Enrico Puglisi shad patterns, and other streamers. Old Kern River Canyon Road parallels the river on the other side of Highway 178 for 18 miles, then brings you back to Highway 178.
On the Kern River below Lake Isabella are numerous smaller dams that provide electrical power. Democrat Dam is the first, 11 miles downstream from Sandy Flats Campground. You can launch a kayak at the Democrat picnic area and raft take-out and paddle upstream to fish this very large and very deep stretch of the river — there is plenty of room to paddle around and drift fish. Check with the US Forest Service first on any restrictions that may be imposed, though. However peaceful and calm everything may seem, this area is wilderness and an open cattle range. Mountain lions, black bears, and lesser predators call these mountains home. The roaming cattle are free-range semidomesticated livestock and will react if approached or have young with them. For safety, fish with a buddy or a group.
Getting to the water in the Kern River canyon can be difficult. Although there are pullouts along the road, parts of the canyon are extremely steep and rough, with few trails offering access to the river. But there is some amazing fishing, because not too many people can get to these spots. You need to bring your A game if hiking into less accessible parts of the canyon.
An easier spot for accessing the river is the Delonegha Day Use Area and raft/ kayak take-out point, which also is one of the few trout-stocking locations on the lower Kern. Here you can hike upstream or downstream until doing do becomes impossible. This area has produced a lot of fish, trout as well as smallmouths, and has easy initial access, easy parking, and vault toilets, but no running water.
Farther downstream from Delonegha, Highway 178 changes to two lanes, but there are numerous places that are safe to pull over and fish. This lower portion of the Kern River Canyon is filled with rocks, boulders, dam spillways, and more. Most of this area is safe for wading during the low water levels brought on by drought, but not in wetter years and wetter seasons, such as during springtime, when snowmelt transforms the area into a Class V rapids. (During high flows, the lower Kern is dangerous, even deadly.) Smallmouth bass can be found everywhere in this section, but mainly in the deeper spots if drought has reduced water flow. Be careful when climbing around the boulders and rocks and watch out for rattlesnakes. There are hundreds of spots to fish all up and down this section of river. There are two day-use-only improved areas: Upper Richbar and Lower Richbar. These two spots are relatively close to each other, and offers an all-day experience as you fish both upstream and downstream.
Just below the last powerhouse and spillway, you will encounter a long, flat area filled with citrus trees — private property. However, there is a hidden gem there right off Highway 178, on Rancheria Road (Forest Route 25S03). A street sign marks the turn. Follow this road a few miles, and before you cross a bridge over the river, you will see a dirt parking lot to the left and access to the water. It’s a popular spot for the residents of Bakersfield, though, and they sometimes leave their trash behind. The river is wide and shallow in most parts here, so a floating line and a long fluorocarbon leader is the setup to choose — fluorocarbon, because you may be dragging your leader across rocks and gravel bars. Woolly Buggers in various colors and sizes, leech imitations, shad streamers, and poppers all work, and you have wading access for what seems like miles in either direction. A 6-weight rod and floating line are the ticket for these smallies.
A few miles west of Rancheria Road, you will come to the Alfred Harrel Highway. Turn north on at the stoplight and follow it to the extensive Kern River County Park, which offers access to long stretch of river. The Kern here can be shallow in spots, but also has deep pools. Although largemouth bass are found here, smallmouths are the most common. A very long and well-used bike path offers even more access to the river. Wading and kayaking are the angler’s best bet in this section, and you can cover a lot of water doing either one. Shallow rock and sandy bottoms and jutting boulders midstream offer challenging places to fish. Top-water flies are best fished along the cut banks that seem to be endless because of erosion, as well as in the eddies. During drought, low water levels provide access to some areas that could only be reached only by kayak before.
Drought can make trout fishing an iffy proposition on many California streams, especially in Southern California. Smallmouth bass are as feisty a game fish as they come, and they can thrive where drought and rising water temperatures threaten trout populations. A tailwater smallmouth fishery such as the lower Kern River provides fly fishers with the opportunity to target river-bred smallmouths in a scenic and, in places, challenging natural setting.
If You Go…
For lodging, Lake Isabella has numerous hotels and Airbnb options. Campgrounds abound both on and surrounding the lake. There also are numerous National Forest campgrounds up and down the river.
The Keysville Special Management Recreation Area offers white-water rafting opportunities, recreational gold panning, and dispersed camping, as well as fishing. A network of over 70 miles of trails provides for mountain biking, equestrian, and motorized recreation use. See https://www.blm.gov/visit/keysville-special-recreation-management-area. Keysville North and South offer free camping.
Sandy Flats Campground is located off the Old Kern River Canyon Road (CR 214), a National Forest campground managed by a private concessionaire. Day-use and overnight camping are available in-season only. Another campground, Black Gulch Disbursed Campground, is located off Route 178 almost directly across from Sandy Flats, and when both are open, you can fish your way there and back very easily. You can find out more information online at www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/sequoia/recreation.
Closer to Bakersfield, the Kern River County Park has the Kern River Campground (near Lake Ming), which also provides river access.
Upriver, past Lake Isabella, you’ll find the Kern River Fly Shop in Kernville (11301 Kernville Road), which can supply you with tackle, flies, and advice, as well as guided trips for bass on the lower Kern and float trips with pontoon boats and float tubes. They are open seven days a week. Phone: (760) 376-2040; website: www.kernriverflyshop.com.
The first 19 miles of the Kern River below Lake Isabella is a popular whitewater destination for rafters and kayakers, with the season usually running from May to September — in other words, you may find watercraft descending the river in front of you when fishing this stretch. According to the Kern River Ranger District, if you are interested in floating here, you will need a River Use Permit (for information, phone [760] 379-5646, extension 3), a personal floatation device, and skills to handle whitewater from class II to V+. Drowning is the primary cause of accidental death on the lower Kern River.
— Jeffrey Walters
