Knowledge is power in fishing – Kern Valley Sun

HOOKED ON FISHING Rex Hinkey

Anybody can fish, but not everybody can catch that fish. To catch, you must have some knowledge of the fish you are after and where they might hide in the waters.

Speaking for myself, I know nothing about where to catch in a lake, except maybe understanding where a fat bass would lurk. Now put me on the Kern or other rivers, and I get close to being on target. I learned how to read the water and determine where that big old trout would be — and let me tell you, that is important.

I find it a good challenge to look at the water and study it a little, whether it is the head of the rapids, edges of runs, the end of a fast water, or a backwater behind a boulder.

If you don’t understand it, I would recommend learning that technique. There are many good books covering how to read water. It helps in the catching part, and again, it doesn’t matter if you are a bait fisherperson or a fly guy or gal.

Enough of the technical stuff. My cousin and I were fishing that trail I mentioned last week, “Forgot My Rod” not too long ago.

This part of the Kern is an excellent catching part of the river. Even though you have to make your way through the brush and rocks, but man, it is worth it.

We always cover a lot of ground on our fishing treks, and we must have walked at least two miles this time. The catching part of the Kern is the best. We catch and release, use barbless hooks and artificial bait.

I found a beautiful area next to a huge boulder and threw out my lure. Bam … I hooked a monster. It is genuinely a challenge keeping those rascals hooked long enough to land them.

They will swim right at you, jump out of the water and spit it right out. Your lure goes flying through the air back at you. Sometimes you have to duck to keep from getting whacked by your lure.

I was determined to catch that fish. I made my way up and around the boulder to put my lure right amongst the fish I saw swimming. I was retrieving it slowly, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.

There was a trout at least two-feet long charging my lure and smacking it with his cheek. Man, if I would have had another 20 feet of line — there are monster lunkers in our river.

Another plus being up there is it is peaceful and beautiful. It is easy to lose your focus on fishing just looking around. I love walking the Kern. You should try it someday.

One time, we were down there, and I had crawled up from the bank to a flat spot next to a wall of rock and trees.

I was standing there, taking a quick rest, when I heard a deep growl. I figured it was my cousin messing with me, but he was 25 yards upriver. I got out of there quickly.

The river is full of surprises. Get out there to find your own.