For the first time in 3 weeks I finally caught a trout with hatchery scarring. No word yet if the Kern River Rainbow brood stock will be collected later this summer. I started on the lower part of Section 5 because it would take 2 hours for high flows to reach me. Why? Nothing like that found today after quite a bit of searching. They are very durable and dry fast with mesh liner and one zipper pocket for your driver’s license and credit card. An 11 year old girl remains missing from June. Look for current where active fish hangout to feed like eddies and current breaks where the water is flowing. These long term holdovers I’m catching may not be interested in bait???? Home Field Reports Fishing Reports Big False River bass Big False River bass.   Why? It was one of the lowest ever recorded. This is truly a grave concern and an indication of where parents priorities are now. It has been documented that the unbalance of Trout to Pike Minnow in this section of the Kern River is at 1:100 and 2:100 in the pools above the bridge. Fly fishers had a hard time hooking up but baiters did much better as planted trout could smell out the bait. Section 5 flows  http://www.sutronwin.com/scedison/tw/jsp/, Returned to the Upper Kern for the last Trout in the Classroom field trip of 2018 for Liberty HS. I avoid fishing any trout river when temperatures exceed 70 degrees. The ancient river Nile was full of fish; fresh and dried fish were a staple food for much of the population. It took a #16 BHFBPT. Thankfully there are 30 teachers in Kern County that are making an effort to get there kids to a place that they may come back to with their families and friends to recreate responsibly in the future. Triple digits have been seen in the Bako and up in Kernville recently. These are bigger than the last few weeks. https://amazon.com/gp/product/B01GUG9JGS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1 I decided to try a spot above Fairview Dam on section 6. If they are stocking, as suggested by their web site, it is the first time in over 10 years trout were placed in sections 5 & 6 at this time. Rainfall for this snow/rain season is improving. There was very little fishing going on. If there are any upcoming rain events keep an eye on flows before you go. A heat up is on the way this weekend again. A lot more water was accessible this week and softer pocket water is now abundant. A Sheriff from Inyo County said they did not have the manpower to handle and monitor the large crowds of fisherman and others that will congregated at harbors, boat ramps, lakes and river banks. Let’s keep our fingers crossed it can work again like 3 years ago. Then flows on Section 5 became crossable and holding water was abundant. For now please stay out to stay alive. Section 5 is very low at 77 cfs. In BFL we have not recorded a measurable rain event in over 200 days and it shows. So I fished a lot of water I have not tried in years again today. The Mary is about three hours north of Brisbane and meets the sea near Maryborough. This is the first time it will be held in Bakersfield. We dodged a bullet! It has dropped to 350 cfs and will drop another 100 cfs by next week based on the trends. Section 6 above Fairview Dam has blanked most members for several weeks. We didn’t want to be in a wide meadow when the bolts hit. The very dry, windy, and hot July and August weather has spurned forest fires all over California and has pushed smoky air all over the state and beyond even to New England as seen on satellite maps. Unfortunately, big trout will succumb to the higher water temps much faster than dink trout. It appears that Lake Ming may be the only local water planted this year before Santa gets here? So if you plan to go fishing with a friend, make sure you don’t ride share, unless you are going with a member of your household. The CFGC was pleased with the technical challenge to To compensate for this production loss, and try to provide at least some trout angling opportunities in the Department's Central Region Counties, we're planting fewer waters than we have historically. Very little surface action with the cooler temps (except for some dinks). A word of caution. Get your 2019 license now at  https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Online-Sales. Much of that time the Lower Kings was flowing at +3,000 cfs and at unsafe conditions for wading. Flash back pheasant tails, copper johns, hares ears, princes.... all bead heads set at least 36” below a hopper our stimulator with yellow bellies. We are just a few months into the rebuild and there has been some progress. One of the most visible aspects of the project happening now is the construction of a much larger emergency spillway. I covered a long stretch and managed to hook two small bows in the first two hours and headed further up river. Recent planting has been behind the curve as staffing issues have reduced stocking. This has cause huge changes in the flows on the lower flow section. Spent 45 minutes on one of my favorite spots but could not cross and did not get a grab. No controlled burn smoke to deal with this week and that was much appreciated. Had another great session of Trout in the Classroom high schoolers from Ridgeview HS today. On a sad note two more gentleman went into the Kern River (Keysville stretch again) and didn’t come out Saturday. My guess is many were in thermal shock as the +200 mile drive through the valley had warmed up the tank and when tossed in the the 54 degree water it locks their jaws for a bit. There was some success for some fishers at Carpfest but the carp are pretty small. Some of these waters are in your favorite destinations. With a near state record landed by Rich Arner at 33” length and 27” girth (estimated to be 26.5 lbs!!!)