Little Kern Lake Fishing in Tulare County, California

• Overview

  Little Kern Lake sits within Tulare County in California. The surroundings are rolling hill. This is a pocket water of some 10 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. For a base, Lone Pine sits 28 miles out. The nearest city of size is Visalia, 50 miles away. Within a short drive: Kern Lake at 0.6 miles, Coyote Lakes (2.7 miles), Silver Lake at 8.8 miles, Forester Lake (9.3 miles) and Johnson Lake at 9.4 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Little Kern Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Tulare County cover rainbow trout, brook trout, california golden trout, Sacramento sucker and black crappie. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Fish Little Kern Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year August sits at 60°F and January at 27°F. Temperature moves within a narrow band, and so does the fishing. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. That is the shape of the year on Little Kern Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Kern Lake is 0.6 miles off. Treat Little Kern Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.