Kern River Fish Report for 12-19-2025
With cooler water temperatures, many trout are settling into the deeper pools
Kern River

by Chad Burton and Chris Borden
12-19-2025
Website
The Upper Kern River was stocked this week in Sections 4, 5, and 6, and with cooler water temperatures, many trout are settling into the deeper pools. Anglers are having success with slow retrieves using salmon eggs, worms, and crickets, while fly anglers are finding good action on nymph patterns early in the day and blue-winged olive patterns during afternoon hatches. Stocking took place in Section 4 from Powerhouse #3 to Riverside Park in Kernville, Section 5 from Fairview Dam to Lazy River Lodge, and Section 6 from Fairview Dam to Johnsondale Bridge. On the Lower Kern River, the bass bite remains fair to good on crankbaits, jigs, and spinners. Catfish action has slowed but fish are still being caught on dip baits, nightcrawlers, and cut baits. At the time of reporting, river flows are 334 CFS on the Upper Kern and 303 CFS on the Lower Kern.
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More Reports
Cope's Tackle and Rod Shop Reports
for Friday, December 19th
California Aqueduct: Fishing has been decent in the aqueduct
Castaic Lake: Castaic Lake rose to 77 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing was good
Pyramid Lake, CA: Pyramid Lake remained at 85 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing was good
Lake Isabella: The winter bass bite has slowed slightly, but anglers are still finding quality fish
Cope's Tackle and Rod Shop Reports
for Friday, December 12th
California Aqueduct: Aqueduct anglers did best with bait
Castaic Lake: The lake fell slightly to 74 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing was fair to good
Pyramid Lake, CA: Pyramid Lake fell to 85 percent of its storage capacity
Lake Isabella: Lake Isabella is currently holding in the 32 percent range, with water temperatures running 50–55 degrees
Kern River: The Upper Kern River is scheduled to be stocked next week in Sections 4, 5 and 6
Lake Kaweah: Kaweah Lake rose to 16 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing was fair
Lake Success: The lake remained near 20 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing was fair
River Walk Lakes: Trout fishing has been excellent all week
Ming Lake: The CDFW stocked trout here this week, the first plant of the season
Buena Vista Lakes: Fishing was fair at BV, with most of the trout already hauled in
Hart Park Lake: 5 pound Bass caught this week
Truxtun Lake: Fishing at Truxtun Lake has been on the slow side, but that’s to be expected with the cold weather
Lake Nacimiento: The lake held near 34 percent of its storage capacity, and water temperatures stayed close to 60 degrees
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