Very small fish report

[Jeff C]

Well I took the family up to the river again this year. Camped for 6 days from july 31 til aug 6 at Springhill.
Trash everywhere. People leaving entire bags of garbage where they camped. Made me sick to see it.
Hate to see it come to this but I probably wont be returning to the Kern anymore after many, many years of enjoyment.
A different kind of camper has made the Kern their vacation destination and I no longer want any part of it.
Everywhere they go or live they destroy it and ruin it for others. The forest circus took out one of the Porta potties leaving
only one for an entire campground. The fishing was horrible although I did manage to land 5 trout the entire time. C&R all
of them. One of them was 12 to 14 inches, the rest where 5 or so inches. More slime on the rocks than I remember and I
didnt see very many use another word fish in there. Drank a lot of beer though to drown the sorrow of what a craphole its becoming up
there. Paid close to 50.00 for ice at the river kern store. Im getting my 5th wheel next year and plan to find a destination that
cost so much money to camp there that they cant afford it. So sad.

[Gary C.]

Jeff, sorry to hear that you had such a dissapointig visit to the Kern. If possible you sould try to plan a trip for late September or early October. After school starts it's much cooler (smetimes too cool) and most of the A-holes are gone.

[Fishpole]

Went to the lake and river 3rd week of June Did not have problems you encountered. Guess from now on thre will be fewer people around. So be it.

[robby2977]

My friends and I went up this year the week of August 3rd. Stayed in Headquaters. No host, just the lady that went up to several camps to collect the fees or fill out the parking passes. We too also noticed more slime on the rocks, probably because the trout that may feed on it are very, very few. Caught two around 10 inches, with some around 4 to 6 inches. They're still there, but you have to work harder to find them.

Some of the places we went through to fish were filled with so much trash, I thought it was a dump site for the city. Just common decency should move a person to clean up at least their own trash, but we'll see what lies ahead with this mess.

Alot more people camping, I guess since it costs more to travel anywhere else. Hopefully things improve, but I don't see that anytime soon.

[admin]

We hate to lose anyone who has enjoyed visiting the area in the past, but understand the frustration fully. It's like banging your head against a slime covered rock. There are still some attractive draws here but our year-round fishing and camping popularity requires a lot more work than it has in the past because of government, both state and fed, incompetence and mismanagement.

The valley people and businesses apologize for what these government agencies, in control of your recreation destination, have done to the area. Authority without accountability...to anyone. Hope we can lure you back in the future. Meanwhile, write your reps and tell them what you think. Good luck.

[Jeff C]

Thanks admin and everyone that responded to my report. I may have been a little hasty in saying that I would never return to the Kern.
Never is a term used by me and probably many others to mean a LONG TIME. If they started stocking the river next week I would
probably jump in my truck and go up there. However, as I get up there in age, I expect a certain entertainment value for my dollar.
The main reasons we would go camping there was because of the great fishing, the kids could tube while we were fishing and it was clean.
I am not expecting the campgrounds to be in pristine condition but come on. I am sure that many of us who go up there do take care of their
campsites and pick up their trash. Their is a new generation of virus who have little respect for America and simply do not care. I believe
in my heart that the Kern River can become a travel destination like no other in the area. Instead of it becoming a nicer place to visit I have seen
it go downhill fast. Just look at the Golden Trout Resort closing down. And its only going to get worse. In the past I have donated money to help funds
and written letters to politicians to try and change things, but these days, those people can give a flying rats a** what you send them unless its
campaign contributions. I now I am rambling on but I need to vent my frustrations with those who see the same things happening to a beautiful river
that I do.

[hogbygardd]

I was brought up to " bring out more than I took in" simple. Taught it to my son, he`ll teach it to his. The apple never falls far from the tree in the families you have had the misfortune to camp after.