River Walk Lakes Fish Report for 12-12-2025
Trout fishing has been excellent all week
River Walk Lakes - Kern County, CA (Kern County)
by Chad Burton and Chris Borden
12-12-2025
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Bakersfield Kids Outdoors stocked River Walk Park on Monday with both lightning and rainbow trout, followed by an additional CDFW trout plant on Wednesday. Trout fishing has been excellent all week, with many anglers easily hitting limits. Several trout over 3 pounds have been landed. Lightning and rainbow trout are biting well on Powerbait, Mice Tails, spinners, and jigs. Bass action has been steady, with fish being caught on crankbaits, jerkbaits, jigs, and shad-style plastics fished on a dropshot. Bluegill and small crappie are showing in both lakes, taking wax worms, Powerbait and red worms. The next trout derby is scheduled for February 7, 2026, hosted by Bakersfield Kids Outdoors. Both the main lake and the amphitheater lake will be stocked with tagged trout worth up to $1,000, along with trophy-sized lightning and rainbow trout. Tickets and more information are available at Copes Tackle and Rod.
Contact Cope’s Tackle and Rod Shop at 661-679-6351 or check us out online at Tackle and Rod.com
Cope's Tackle and Rod Shop has the largest selection of fishing tackle in the Central Valley. We carry all the equipment from top manufactures to make your fishing trip more successful! Whether your fishing for Bluegill at a local pond or Bluefin Tuna far offshore we are your one stop shop for all your fishing needs.
Our mantra here at Cope’s is “for fishermen, by fishermen.” All our staff truly enjoy the sport and spend a lot of time helping make sure you are enjoying your time on the water. We can guarantee satisfaction when you enter our store - from tips and tricks to providing you with all the gear you will need to keep you on the water and in the game!
It is not only our goal to provide you with the right gear, we also strive to keep you informed of local events, trips, shows, and fishing opportunities.
Our price match guarantee assures each angler the opportunity to get out on the water with the best gear at the lowest price possible. We make it a point to regularly run deals and sales!
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More Reports
Cope's Tackle and Rod Shop Reports
for Friday, December 12th
California Aqueduct: Aqueduct anglers did best with bait
Castaic Lake: The lake fell slightly to 74 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing was fair to good
Pyramid Lake, CA: Pyramid Lake fell to 85 percent of its storage capacity
Lake Isabella: Lake Isabella is currently holding in the 32 percent range, with water temperatures running 50–55 degrees
Kern River: The Upper Kern River is scheduled to be stocked next week in Sections 4, 5 and 6
Lake Kaweah: Kaweah Lake rose to 16 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing was fair
Lake Success: The lake remained near 20 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing was fair
Cope's Tackle and Rod Shop Reports
for Friday, December 5th
California Aqueduct: Fishing was fair to good in the aqueduct depending on the angler
Castaic Lake: Castaic Lake held near 76 percent of capacity, and fishing was decent
Pyramid Lake, CA: The lake dropped to 89 percent of storage capacity, and water temperatures were in the low sixties
Lake Isabella: The winter bass bite has been strong
Kern River: On the Upper Kern, flows have dropped back down and CDFW has stocked trout throughout the 20-mile stretch
Lake Kaweah: Anglers reported long days with decent numbers of mostly smaller bass
Lake Success: Success Lake rose slightly to 20 percent of its storage capacity
River Walk Lakes: Both lightning and rainbow trout are still being caught from the fishing derby
Ming Lake: Bass fishing remains slow to fair
Buena Vista Lakes: Anglers reported normal winter conditions at BV, with a few trout still taking baits
Hart Park Lake: Anglers reported low fishing pressure at Hart Park with a fair bite
Truxtun Lake: Bass anglers reported fair fishing at Truxtun Lake
Lake Nacimiento: Nacimiento dropped to 34 percent of its storage capacity, and water temperatures held near 60 degrees
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