2025 Upper Kern River End of Season Report

What a year it was on the Upper Kern!  The river stayed mostly in shape all season.  It should have because it was a fairly normal runoff year.  And that meant for a significantly long and productive stretch during the season, mid July to mid December.   Mid December?  Yes, for the first time in my close to 30 years of fishing the upper Kern, the forest service kept the river open beyond the November 15^th close because of pressure from the DFW to do a longer hunting season.  I assume that means generating more revenue by the sale of hunting tags.  Anyways that was a score for many of us fly fishing knucklheads who brave nighttime temps in the 20s for the opportunity to fish the river in December.

It was a unique year for me for a number of reasons. In fact, thinking back I only did one actual fishing trip to the Upper Kern this season where I got to fish: the annual SDFF trip. I ended up guiding (for free, of course) a significant part of that trip too. But, I did have a day fishing  by myself that I doubt I’ll ever be able to repeat. See below.  On every other trip I guided.  And I guided a lot and had a hoot of fun doing it.

I guided the Upper Kern this season way way more than I fished the river.  It’s the first time I can remember I had to turn down guiding.  I can’t remember a year when I had to say no to guiding so frequently.  All of those turn-downs were at the last minute.  I’m still a CTO at a software company so my life doesn’t support guiding last minute.  Additionally, I get asked to guide the Johnsondale Bridge Section (JDB) and I always politely decline.  There are many unwritten rules of guiding and one of them is respecting the territory of another guide or shop by not guiding their water.  I leave the JDB section all the way down through the recreational section of the Kern to the guides of the Kern River Fly Shop.

The season was also unique for me in that the majority of my fishing and guiding was not in the forks section.  I define the Forks section as the stretch from the confluence of the main fork of the Kern and the Little Kern Rivers upstream to the Huck Site (just short of rattlesnake creek).  Y’all know I love the Forks section of the Upper Kern.  but, guiding for both Peppermint Falls Ranch and for Golden Trout Pack Station has allowed to guide and fish in some unique places, places on the upper kern I had never been to both below and above the forks section.

I did notice in social media and a number of emails that I got, that as the season moved through late summer to fall to winter, folks (including guides) struggled to catch fish in numbers in the Forks Section.  I heard some complaints that the river seemed crowded at times.  over-fished, hard to believe.  I feel like I’m partially to blame because I wrote an article on the Forks of the Kern for the summer issue of California Fly Fisher Magazine.  And guess what?  That article I wrote is up for an award!  Btw, I have two more articles coming in CA fly fisher in the winter edition.

Some of the highlights of my season:

Guiding for Golden Trout Pack Station – Mid June

I guided the Bennett family (Dad and twin 17 year olds) in mid-June right in the  middle of runoff.  I was a bit worried about the flow. The good news is that we were far enough upriver to be able to find good water.  We rode horses all the way above Big Kern Lake to Gold Trout Pack Station’s camp.  The mules carried the gear.  No need for backpacking on this one.  You are allotted 50-60 lbs of gear.  That means camping equipment; not backpacking gear.  Yes, you heard me right.  I rode a horse for 18 miles.  Horses terrify me.  “The devil’s staircase” which is part of the journey is no joke.  Normally I would have hiked in advance to figure out the fishing before the horses and mule team with everyone.  But, I just didn’t have the time. I survived. We found good water about ½ mile upstream from camp and stuck ‘em.  We had one big calamity on the trip.  One of the horses got its leg stuck in a big group of sweepers in the river.  It took a couple hours and the horse was exhausted; it had given up, and ready to drown.  But, Bill (the dad) came up with a genius leverage idea that helped us partially free the horse’s hoof.  Then Steve Day (owner of Golden Trout Pack Outfitters) whistled, and the cattle dog went ballistic on the horse, pissing it off enough for it to struggle it’s way free.

The Annual SDFF club trip to the Forks of the Kern – mid July

From my Instagram Post in Mid July: So fun. Great group! 9 tents in the Huck site. I swear it was coincidental that it was at the same time as my article in CA fly fisher magazine published! On Saturday I had one of the best fly fishing days there ever. And that says a lot for a guy that has been fishing there over 25 years… 30 landed over 16”. 6 of them over 20”. Huck hoppers. But it felt like I could have thrown a bare hook and still caught big fish. I have never had to fight so many on the reel. My arm hurts. Actually everything hurts. I earned it. It’s physical enough just backpacking into there. but I did fall twice. I’m cut up, bruised and sore. Totally worth it.

Peppermint Falls Ranch – July 21

From my Instagram Post end of July: It is rare that I get to guide a Fly fisher with expertise. Beginners are pure joy to teach how to fly fish but yesterday at Peppermint Falls Ranch. I had the pleasure of guiding Chris Kirby. Now a friend… who knows his way around a trout stream. I’m not much of a counter but I’d say we c&r’d between 20 and 25. W some real monsters in there. Mostly on dies! Long live the Huck hopper!

The real hero in this story is Chris’s wife Sonya, though. She chased a 2 year old around for 12 hours while Chris waved a stick in a river w me.

Peppermint Falls Ranch – September 27th

I got to guide Craig Keshesian, a pretty famous political strategist and TV personality.  Great Guy!  We’re buddies now.  can’t wait to fish with him again and we already have 2026 plans.  What was interesting about Craig is that he’s fairly new to fly fishing.  most beginners have real problems with setting.  Shit, setting on river right is my biggest weakness.  But, man this guy could set.  We fished on top with Huck Hoppers but, found that a dry / dropper with a midge perdigon I tie was necessary for numbers that day.  and we caught numbers.  I dragged Craig up and down that wild river.  At PFR it’s so wild there is no river trail.  The entire stretch in miles either way is a total bush whack.  We had so much fun it was way past dark when we hiked out of there.  PFR sent the drone out looking for us.  I think I almost killed him. 🙂

2026 Season

Next season I already have guided trips inked for Painters Camp, Hole in the Ground, Big Kern Lake and beyond… Beyond, you might ask?  How do you get farther upstream than an 18 mile hike / horse back ride to Big Kern Lake without spending 2 weeks hiking at altitude?  Well, you do it in a helicopter.  Yep!  Next season I get to heli-guide!  It’s a quick flight from the PFR heliport to the back side of Mt. Whitney, the headwaters of the Kern River.  We get dropped off in the morning and they pick us back up end of day.  If you want in on that deal then send me an email and I’ll hook you up with Lacee at PFR who will handle the cat herding.

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