Friant-Kern Canal is a Canal located in Tulare County, CA. Starting in the Friant-Kern Canal flows 152.6 miles. The Friant-Kern Canal has an elevation of 407 feet. Find maps, fishing guides and recreation info at Guidesly.

About Friant-Kern Canal, CA

This aqueduct drains water into three counties: Kern, Tulare, and Fresno. It starts from the Friant Dam at Millerton Lake which is found north of Fresno along the eastern end of San Joaquin Valley. The Friant-Kern Canal ends near Bakersfield’s Kern River.

The Friant-Kern Canal can hold up to 140 cubic meter per second. Its water can be as deep as three to six meters. The Friant-Kern Canal is lined with concrete with some unlined sections of earth (mud). Interestingly, this facility does not rely on water pumps to move water; instead, it functions through gravity.

Delivering water to several cities and up to 15,000 farms, Friant-Kern Canal in California is created for many purposes. This 245-kilometer long canal is part of the Central Valley Project. It is primarily built to alleviate the harmful effects of excessive groundwater pumping caused by farmers. With the proliferation of more people into California around the 1930s, it necessitated the creation of another canal like Friant-Kern. The construction (with a budget of 60.8 million USD) was finished in 1951. Recently, the federal government allocated 5 million USD to reconstruct the Friant-Kern Canal which has lost half of its usual capacity due to subsidence, changes in water delivery patterns, and design limitations.

The Friant-Kern Canal was originally planned and designed to address two pressing concerns along the eastern part of the San Joaquin Valley. First, to alleviate the land subsidence caused by unsustainable groundwater pumping. Second, to develop California economically.

All About Fishing in Friant-Kern Canal, CA

As part of the State Water Project that promotes fish enhancement, the Friant-Kern Canal offers several fishing opportunities all year round. Depending on where the angler is coming from, this aqueduct thrives with channel catfish, largemouth bass, striped bass, and bluegill. These fish eat pretty much anything from zooplankton to small fish and catfish which are heavily abundant in the Friant-Kern Canal.

The Friant-Kern Canal is considered a viable environment where many plant and animal species thrive. The water supplied by this aqueduct supports many agricultural crops including vegetables, grapes, grains, corn, and alfalfa.

In 2009, the Friant-Kern Canal became a part of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program aiming to restore the populations of salmon therein.

Due to the restoration ongoing at the Friant-Kern Canal, fishing is not fully encouraged. On normal days, people can take a boat and fish for bass and catfish. 

Fishing Seasonality

You can fish (especially for striped and largemouth bass) here pretty much any time of the year though some activities may have been halted by the government due to the ongoing reconstruction. The best techniques to capture them are dragging, and fishing with swim-baits. Since the Friant-Kern Canal has non-vegetated areas, varieties of bass thrive there. Since catfish prefer living in reservoirs, you can typically find a sustainable population of this species all year-round at Friant-Kern Canal.

During spring and early summer, it would be best to book a fishing trip at Friant-Kern Canal and look for bluegill. This can be done by spin casting, fly fishing, and jig fishing. 

Fishing Seasonality

You can fish (especially for striped and largemouth bass) here pretty much any time of the year though some activities may have been halted by the government due to the ongoing reconstruction. The best techniques to capture them are dragging, and fishing with swim-baits. Since the Friant-Kern Canal has non-vegetated areas, varieties of bass thrive there. Since catfish prefer living in reservoirs, you can typically find a sustainable population of this species all year-round at Friant-Kern Canal.

During spring and early summer, it would be best to book a fishing trip at Friant-Kern Canal and look for bluegill. This can be done by spin casting, fly fishing, and jig fishing. 

All About Fishing in Friant-Kern Canal, CA

As part of the State Water Project that promotes fish enhancement, the Friant-Kern Canal offers several fishing opportunities all year round. Depending on where the angler is coming from, this aqueduct thrives with channel catfish, largemouth bass, striped bass, and bluegill. These fish eat pretty much anything from zooplankton to small fish and catfish which are heavily abundant in the Friant-Kern Canal.

The Friant-Kern Canal is considered a viable environment where many plant and animal species thrive. The water supplied by this aqueduct supports many agricultural crops including vegetables, grapes, grains, corn, and alfalfa.

In 2009, the Friant-Kern Canal became a part of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program aiming to restore the populations of salmon therein.

Due to the restoration ongoing at the Friant-Kern Canal, fishing is not fully encouraged. On normal days, people can take a boat and fish for bass and catfish.