BAKERSFIELD, CA — Kern County fisherman have noticed there is a lack of trout in local lakes this season.
Terry Ybarra, a local fisherman, says he grew up fishing in Kern County lakes and has never seen them as empty as this season.
"My dad just came out here last year when there was a healthy stock and there was trout here we had a great time we caught both of our limits within twenty minutes," says Ybarra.
The Moccasin hatchery that produced 700,000 trout per year flooded last year. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the San Joaquin hatchery is now the main trout producer for the entire central valley. The CDFW also confirmed the Moccasin hatchery is not expected to go back to normal until 2020.
"If anything I would like to see them set up a few more pens a few more cages out there in the lake and hopefully have a process so this doesn’t happen again," says Ybarra.
The CDFW uses pens to raise trout and distribute among central valley lakes. The next pen project is scheduled for Spring 2019 at Lake Isabella and should hatch about 10,000 fish.
Only two trout restocks are schedule for the remainder of the month. The next one will take place between December 16 and December 22 and Lake Ming and Kern Riber.
If you're planning a trout fishing trip, you can avoid an empty lake by checking the fishing planting schedule on the CDFW's website. The schedule is updated in real time and tells you when your local lake is freshly restocked.
