10 Kern River destinations to please anglers and others
Riverkern Beach
For more than 20 miles, a two-lane road that starts as Sierra Way then becomes Mountain Route 99 shimmies along the banks of the Kern River from Lake Isabella to Johnsondale Bridge. The road is bordered by dozens of fishing spots that anglers can reach without bushwhacking through shrubs or climbing over boulders.
Among the best is Riverkern Beach, a flat, grassy picnic area about three miles north of Kernville. Riverkern Beach made a Times reporter’s list of favorite fishing sites because of its deep, languid water and the gnarled oak that shades the eastern bank in the morning. It also helps that it’s a stocking spot for the California Department of Fish and Game.
From Kernville, follow Sierra Way about three miles north of Kernville and look for a sign at a clearing by the river. (Hugo Martin / Los Angeles Times)
Whitewater River Hike
Jim Fisher, of Yorba Linda, hikes to a fishing spot on the Kern.
Park next to Johnsondale Bridge and climb down the yellow staircase that leads to a four-mile trail along the upper Kern where the really serious anglers pursue wild trout. At places, the path narrows, bounds over rocks and climbs over downed trees.
On the trail, don’t expect bathrooms or running water, but you’ll find countless brilliant fishing spots, many in the shade of willows and oaks. About a mile north of the bridge, Times reporter Hugo Martín found a giant granite outcropping that jutted into the river like a stone dagger. He sat on the dagger’s point, his feet hanging over the edge and cast a baited line into the swirling pool of emerald green.
From Lake Isabella, follow Sierra Way until it becomes Mountain Route 99, about 22 miles north to Johnsondale Bridge. There is a bathroom at the parking lot. Cross to the staircase and follow the trail on the east side of the river. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Paradise Cove
A catch of fish at Paradise Cove along Lake Isabella
The only things moving on the flat, calm waters of Lake Isabella are the red-eyed Western grebes, hunting carp and other small fish off the shores of Paradise Cove. Reporter Martín takes this as a sign of bigger fish. It’s midmorning, and several other anglers have already staked out the bare, rocky shores of the cove. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Paradise Cove
Rachel Rowlatt, 89, rests while friend Vi Hagstrom checks on their fishing rods at Paradise Cove.
From Lake Isabella’s dam, follow California 178 east for two miles and look for the signs to Paradise Cove. Bathrooms and running water are available. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Democrat Picnic Area
Several locals in the town of Lake Isabella suggested that reporter Martín check out natural hot springs about 12 miles south of the lake, along the banks of the Kern.
The banks here are flat, the emerald green water is deep and the view of rolling hills, dappled with willow and oaks on the opposite shore, is gorgeous. The screech of a red-tailed hawk breaks the silence.
Martín spots an angler in a bucket hat who says he hooked a monster trout here a day earlier. The angler also tells him he knows the directions to the hard-to-find hot springs. Never mind, Martín says as he casts a line upstream; he’ll unwind right here.
From Lake Isabella, follow California 178 south about 12 miles toward Bakersfield and look for signs for the campground on the right. Water, bathrooms and barbecues are available. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Cannell Trail
The colors along this trail are so vivid that the hill looks like an Impressionist painting -- and the flowers should be blooming for the next few weeks. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Cannell Trail
From Kernville, follow Sierra Way north for about two miles and look for horse stables on your right. Nearby, a sign and a gate mark the trail head for Cannell Trail. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Cannell Trail
The butterflies and bees can be thick along this lush trail. Who can blame them? The wildflowers are sweet in this area near Kernville. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Kern River Preserve
More than 250 species of birds call the preserve home, but the hike here starts at a 1.5-mile nature trail. Animated red-winged blackbirds can be heard with their “cong-a-lee, cong-a-lee” chirp.
The route circles a grove of red willows and cottonwoods. Quail peck at the ground. Near the parking lot, a jackrabbit bounces across a clearing. It’s no wonder the Tubatulabal people called this valley home. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Kern River Preserve
A rufous-sided towhee scratches through the brush at the preserve.
From the town of Lake Isabella, follow California 178 east to the small town of Weldon and look for a sign for the preserve on your left. Open sunrise to sundown, seven days a week. For more details, go to kern.audubon.org. or call (760) 378-2531. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Kern River Hatchery
The rainbow trout in the first long concrete trough are the size of meaty kielbasa. Times reporter Hugo Martín buys a handful of fish pellets from a dispenser and tosses a few into the water to watch it boil and ripple with fins, tails and gaping mouths. Hatchery workers dump 124,000 pounds of trout throughout the rivers and streams in the valley, and visitors can see them before they go out. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Kern River Hatchery
Some of the trout are big enough to swallow a man’s fist. They probably don’t taste as good as wild trout, but they make for great trophies, and, in a couple of weeks, these troutzillas will be in the waters, eyeing lures, artificial flies, spinners and you.
From Kernville, take Sierra Way north for about a mile and look for the hatchery on your left. For more details, call (760) 376-2846. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Silver City Ghost Town
Elias Simons, 7, watches his father, Robert, in “jail” at Silver City.
The saloon is haunted. So is the jail. That’s what the curator of Silver City Ghost Town says as you pay the $4 general admission. This roadside attraction in Bodfish is a collection of ramshackle buildings that were salvaged and relocated here from towns throughout the area, and somehow ghosts came along in the move.
Address: 3829 Lake Isabella Blvd., Bodfish. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission: $4 for adults; $3 for children younger than 12. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Kern River
Along the Kern River, from Bakersfield to the Johnsondale Bridge, anglers can choose among more than a dozen water-side campgrounds. At campgrounds such as Hospital Flat, fishing fanatics can fish all day within walking distance of a campfire ring and a picnic table. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Kern River
Along the 20-mile stretch of Kern River, from Lake Isabella to the Johnsondale Bridge, anglers can find just about every river condition -- shallow, fast running stretches as well as deep, slow-moving water. All you have to do is find your spot and start casting. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
