The storied history of the Kern River is really a tale to two rivers.
The first, the North Fork, originates in the high Sierra Nevada near Mt.
Whitney, Calif., plunges through the Inyo and Sequoia national forests and cuts deep into the granite outcroppings that make up the Kern River Canyon.
In the spring, snowmelt turns this stretch above the old gold-mining town of Kernville into a fast-moving torrent that's considered one of the most popular whitewater rafting runs in the state.
The second, the South Fork, is a free-flowing river that winds through open meadows and provides habitat for a native species of golden trout.
The two rivers, added by congress to the National Wild & Scenic Rivers System in 1987, conjoin below Kernville to create Isabella Reservoir and the Lower Kern River. Here, the river carves its way through Sequoia National Park for another 32 miles before finally leaving the canyon to provide nourishment for the San Joaquin Valley.
In the end, the mighty Kern pirouettes through some 60-plus miles of very accessible water that, for the most part, provides the trout-deprived Central Valley with a stellar fishery all year long. Even in the early spring, when most our state's high-altitude rivers look like runs of chocolate milk thanks to the spring runoff that swells them to the point where they're unfishable until late May or early June.
Kern River Regulations
Anglers should keep DFG regulations in mind when fishing any portion of the Kern River. It is recommended that anglers regularly check current regulations before fishing this unique and prized fishery.
On the lower river, and on the North Fork from Lake Isabella to the Johnsondale Bridge, regulations are pretty standard with fishing open all year and a daily bag and possession limit of five per day and 10 in possession.
From Johnsondale Bridge on up, the regulations are a bit trickier. From the bridge to where the U.S. Forest Service Trail 33E30 heads east to join the Rincon Trail, the season runs from the last Saturday in April through Nov. 15. There is a minimum length limit of 14 inches and only artificial lures and flies with barbless hooks are permitted. The daily bag and possession limit is reduced to two fish on these waters.
From the Rincon Trail to the mouth of the Tyndall Creek, the season is the same although rainbows that are 10 inches or bigger may be kept here. Kern residents, however, encourage out-of-towners to practice catch and release on these protected runs in hopes of allowing the trout population to bounce all the way back to where it was prior to the McNally Fire.
