Kern River Fly Fishing DVD released

Gearing up for the upcoming trout season opener, I stumbled across a fun little DVD on what is quickly becoming one of my favorite trout fisheries in California, the Kern River.
The DVD, which I bought at www.sierraflyfishing.com ($19.95, Halflight Productions), is entitled Sierra Fly Fishing Vol. 1, Lower Kern River.
It’s basically a 30-minute (minus the extra features) instructional fly-fishing show hosted by local guide Guy Jeans, who knows the Kern River better than anyone in the area.
I’ve bumped into Jeans a couple times over the years at his shop in Kernville (http://www.kernriverflyfishing.com/) and a couple times on the water, following him and a couple clients around to get some shots for the Central California Fishing guide. He’s a great resource and a knowledgeable guide, which you’ll see on this DVD he’s made with fishing buddy Tysun McMullan.
This episode focuses on the Lower Kern, which I’ve had my fair share of struggles with and am now eager to fish again after seeing the football-sized trout Jeans was hauling in.
In this single trip, Jeans lands four or five hogs that looked like they’d been inhaling shad for weeks.
I was actually pretty surprised by Jeans’ candidness, openly talking about the different runs on the lower river and even giving away some of his favorite techniques.
Many guides are tight-lipped about their home water and frown upon giving away worthwhile tips and techniques unless you’re a regular at the shop or an out-of-towner sitting on a fat wallet. Watching the DVD, I felt like Jeans was giving me a crash course on the best ways to fish the lower Kern below Isabella. Well worth the $20.
Great insight. Good cinematography for such a small production crew. Fun outakes and extras. Just a well-done video, and I’ll be eagerly awaiting second and third volumes on the upper portions of the Kern.
-Brian Milne

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