Interest Only - September 2027, 5 to 7 day Kern River Horsepack Trip
Want to fly fish without an arduous journey? Join our Kern Flat trip. The trip features a scenic 4.5 hour, 12-mile ride into camp, and miles of fishable river! There is opportunity for day rides upstream from camp.
Camp along an expansive meadow next to the Kern. Faster water but plenty of pockets holding nice sized Kern River Rainbows. Stunning scenery and swimming holes; it is a beautiful section of the Kern. It is roughly 4.5 hours to reach camp by horseback.
The Upper Kern River is a Wild and Scenic River holding native and heritage populations of Kern River Rainbows. Kern Flat itself is an extremely scenic camp site; terrain is more open than further north where the river begins to narrow in the canyon near “the Hazards”. You will find a hiking trail along the Kern that continues south for nearly six miles to Forks of the Kern and three miles north to Nine-mile Creek to fish along with excellent fishing and swimming holes.
This horse pack trip is provided by Golden Trout Pack Station and is a Drop Trip / Spot Trip. Meaning, Golden Trout Pack Station will take the TVFF group by horseback and our gear by pack animal to a campsite. The Golden Trout Pack Station packer and livestock will then return for us on a predetermined day.
Recommended individual gear includes: Tent, sleeping bag, pad for sleeping, brimmed hat, bandana, lightweight gloves, riding/hiking boots, sunglasses, reusable bottle, duffle bags, headlamp, personal toiletries, clothing, food, drinks, water filter, fishing gear, waders, wading staff, rain gear, positive attitude, etc.
Guests must not weigh more than 250 lbs and must not have any serious physical or medical health issues prior to the trip that could affect safety. Guests weighing more than 250 pounds can be accommodated on a case by case basis and depending on the availability of riding mules.
Directions to Golden Trout Pack Station
From Fresno - 2.5 hours
Drive south on 99 to the Tipton/Springville exit.
Travel east through Springville.
Drive east up Hwy. 190 to the Lewis Camp Trailhead road, approximately 25 miles from Springville.
Look for our Golden Trout Pack Station sign. Follow the Pack Station signs about 7.5 miles.
Event Skill Levels:
Cost:
Overall costs are shared by all.
Golden Trout Pack Station 2026 costs:
Guides
Packer/Guide (per day, handles up to 5 head of stock) ---- $400
Pack Animal (150 lb Weight Limit) ---------------------------------- $200
Saddle Animal ------------------------------------------------------------- $200
Estimated total cost for a group of 10 participants with 5 pack animals (75 lbs per participant) is: Guide + 10 Saddle Animals + 5 Pack Animals + 2 Packers times 2 (ride in & ride out) = [Guide * 400 + 10 * 200 + 5 * 200 +2 *400] * 2 = [400 + 2000 + 1000 + 800] *2 = $8,400
Estimated per person cost is $840.00
Guide Gratuity (industry recommendation is 10-20%)
Credit Card price: Estimated Full price of $865.20 includes the payment by credit card with the 3.0% surcharge.
Guests must first register as Club members ($45 annual charge) before registering for this event. TVFF annual dues qualify you and your qualifying family members (spouse and children under 23) for a full 12 month membership and access to all Club events and full participation. After registering as a Club member, the above costs for the event will apply.
Fishmeister: Jim Knecht 408-506-2350
Accommodations and Food:
This is similar to a backpacking trip, however, the pack animals carry our gear while we ride the horses into our campsite.
Members are responsible for their own transportation costs as well. Carpooling is encouraged. The cost does not include the customary licenses, fly fishing gear, or meals.
Gear and Tackle Recommendations:
Rod & line weights/types: 3-5 wt traditional fly rods & reels with floating line.
Leaders and tippet: Usually leaders of 12-15 foot with tippets of 5x – 6x are used. Fishing is typically done with up to 50' of line fished below the boat on surface lines, or via sinking lines and assorted sub-surface flies with shorter casts.
Other gear: Normal fishing wear. Due to the warm weather hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen, are also suggested.
Flies: Flies will vary but can include midges, mayfly nymphs, and caddis. Typical sizes are 16 to 22, using single to three flies rigging. Recent activity suggests small parachute Adams. Pale Morning Duns, and small Elk Hair caddis have been effective.
TVFF Outings protocols are as follows:
· If you are sick with cold/flu symptoms then we ask you to please stay home
TVFF Cancellation Policy:
To sign-up for a TVFF Event that is currently open for registration and chargeable (as set by the Fishmeister), you must both register and pay online whatever fee is described for that particular Event (trip) at the time of registration. There may be multiple payments required before the trip is actually taken (usually in the case of expensive trips), but it is necessary that you do make payment in the above timely fashion for the initial amount to secure your position on the trip. However, please note that you are still responsible for the entire amount of the trip if you should need to cancel.
Once you are registered, there are no refunds for chargeable Events and trips. In the situation that a member is, for any reason unable to attend, they may resell their registration slot to another TVFF member (by first pulling from the waitlist if one exists). New participants must come first from the waitlist in the order they signed up. The member cancelling is fully and solely responsible for contacting potential members to replace them and notifying the appropriate Fishmeister.
If an event/trip is fully registered and closed to registration, you may still sign up on the Wait List to be notified if there are any cancellations. In such a case of registering provisionally on the Wait List, you do not have to pay until such time that you clear the Wait List and are confirmed for participation.
