Kern River Fish Report - Kern River - Water flows on the Upper Kern River have increased slightly over the past few days

Water flows on the Upper Kern River have increased slightly over the past few days

Kern River

by Chad Burton and Chris Borden
3-13-2026
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Water flows on the Upper Kern River have increased slightly over the past few days but remain ideal for fishing. Anglers have been catching trout from Riverside Park in Kernville up to Johnsondale Bridge using salmon eggs, mini jigs, spinners, and pinched crawlers. The Upper Kern River was stocked this week in Sections 4 and 5. In the Lower Kern River, trout have been biting on salmon eggs, pinched crawlers, garlic-doused Powerbait, and mini jigs. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has a scheduled trout plant next week in all three sections inside the canyon. The Lower Kern River bass bite is also improving, with anglers finding success using small crankbaits, jigs, and spinners. Catfish are being caught on dip baits, nightcrawlers, and cut baits. At the time of this report, the Upper Kern River was flowing at 1,202 CFS and the Lower Kern River was flowing at 582 CFS.

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More Reports

Cope's Tackle and Rod Shop Reports

for Friday, March 13th

California Aqueduct: Anglers along the aqueduct reported an improved striper bite
Castaic Lake: Bass fishing was good in 7 to 15 feet of water
Pyramid Lake, CA: The lake rose to 92 percent of its storage capacity following the winter drawdown
Lake Isabella: The bass bite has been solid

Cope's Tackle and Rod Shop Reports

for Friday, March 6th

California Aqueduct: Aqueduct fishing remained decent
Castaic Lake: Castaic Lake remained near the 80 percent mark, and water temperatures held in the mid to upper fifties
Pyramid Lake, CA: The lake held at 85 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing was decent last week
Lake Isabella: Lake Isabella has risen to about 45 percent of its capacity this week and continues to climb at a steady pace
Kern River: The trout action in the Upper Kern has been steady all winter long with plants going in almost weekly
Lake Kaweah: The lake rose to 28 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing was fair overall
Lake Success: Success rose significantly to 46 percent of its storage capacity, which disrupted the bite
River Walk Lakes: The bite is starting to get a little tougher
Ming Lake: Here at Ming Lake, the bass action has significantly improved over the past week
Buena Vista Lakes: Another load of trout went into BV and anglers cleaned up
Hart Park Lake: Fishing perked up at Hart Park with largemouth bass taking baits
Lake Nacimiento: The lake rose quickly to 66 percent of its storage capacity and fishing conditions improved