The EcoAngler Report
Researching the Kern River Rainbow? Get scientific based angling intel in The EcoAngler Report - Kern River Rainbow.
Detailed information on it's range along with a map and directions to put you in reach of this native rainbow can be purchased here.
An Adobe PDF document will be made available at the end of the purchase check-out. Select Return to the Ecological Angler to view your copy of The EcoAngler Report - Kern River Rainbow.
California's Native Fish Crisis
CalTrout issues a detailed status report of California native fish. Warning: Large PDF File.
Kern River Rainbow Trout
Kern River rainbow trout were once widely distributed to the upper Kern River basin, Tulare, and Kern Counties. They may have existed as far downstream as Keyesville (below Isabella Dam) and in the South Fork of the Kern as far as Onyx. Today populations considered Kern River rainbow trout live in the Kern River from Durrwood Creek upstream to Junction Meadow. Other populations took hold in Rattlesnake and Osa Creeks through transplants. Remaining habitat is primarily in Sequoia National Forest as well as Sequoia National Park.
California Heritage Trout Challenge
The Kern River rainbow trout caught, photoed, and released in its native range qualifies for the California Heritage Trout Challenge. What is the Kern River rainbow trout's native range? Send an email to the EcoAngler and I can recommend some waters to fish.
Kern River Rainbow Historic Range
Native Range: upper main stem (North Fork) Kern River and tributaries below natural fish migration barriers. Important note: hybridization with extensively stocked non-native rainbow and golden trout in the Kern River drainage may have altered the Kern River rainbow's genetic make-up through nearly all of its range. The California Department of Fish and Game is managing the rainbow trout of the Kern River and tributaries below barriers within the Golden Trout Wilderness and Sequoia National Park as Kern River rainbow. Wild trout from the roadside parts of the Kern River are most likely hybridized with introduced trout.
