Scenic 395 - The Official Guide 2026

2026 Scenic 395 21 Kern River March 28 - 30, 2026 ISABELLA LAKE FISHING DERBY Over $80,000 in Cash and Prizes! www.kernrivervalley.com • facebook.com/LakeIsabellaFishingDerby 2 tags valued @ $10,000 ea., 2 @ $5,000 ea., and 1 tag worth a $10,000 Dollar Shopping Spree at Cope’s Tackle and Rod Shop in Bakersfield!** 500 Tagged Trout - Total Value Over $60,000! With Purchase Tickets Before March 11, 2026 & Automatically be Entered in a Chance to Win $500 Dollars! Enter Now to Win! EarlyBirdPrizeDrawingSponsoredBy • Early bird registration deadline is Wednesday, March 11, 2026 by 5 PM • Walk-In registration closes Friday March 27, 2026 at 8pm. • Online registration closes Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 7AM. No Exceptions. • Derby HQ: Eagles Lodge, Mountain Mesa, CA 12251 CA-178, Lake Isabella, CA 93240 Entry Information Adult: $50 // Youth: $15 Prize Opportunities 500 Tagged Trout: Tag Values $20 - $10,000 Plus: Blind Bogey, Bobber Bowl , Longest Trout Contest & Drawings FreeGiveaways for RegisteredAnglersAges12 years&Under. WhileSuppliesLast. ChildMustBePresentReceiveGifts.SeeOfficialRules forDetails. 35th Annual Isabella Lake Fishing Derby grows from local idea into a valley tradition By Spencer Shepard Kern Valley Sun The Isabella Lake Fishing Derby did not begin as a large- scale attraction or a long-run- ning tradition. It began as a local idea at a time when the Kern River Valley was looking for ways to bring people to the lake and support area busi- nesses. According to longtime organizer TomMcKinney, the concept took shape after Pat Norris, a local business owner, brought in an application from another lake’s fishing derby and suggested Lake Isabel- la could host one of its own. From there, the idea moved quickly from conversation to action. McKinney said he ap- proached Community First Bank and secured seed money to launch the first derby, with the understanding that the loan would be repaid from event proceeds. “Luckily we were able to pay them back and had money left to start year two,” McK- inney later wrote. “The rest is history.” From the start, the derby was designed as a communi- ty-driven event. Volunteers handled registration, logistics, and fish planting, while local businesses helped spread the word and support early oper- ations. The goal was straight- forward: create an event that would bring anglers to the lake, generate activity in town, and give families a reason to return year after year. That approach worked. By the mid-2000s, the der- by had grown into one of the largest amateur fishing events in California. Current derby president Fred Clark remem- bers the scale of those peak years. “I remember the years around 2006 and 2007 when it was shoulder to shoulder,” Clark said. “There was one year with over 8,000 anglers on the lake.” Internal wrap-up records from 2008 show how large the event had become. That year, organizers printed thousands of entry applications and logged more than 5,000 par- ticipants over the three-day derby. Prize payouts topped $6,500, and derby headquar- ters operated out of the Moose Lodge, which served as a cen- tral gathering point for anglers and families throughout the weekend. See Derby on Page 22 A happy angler during a previ- ous Isabella Lake Fishing Derby. Photo courtesy Isabella Lake Fishing Derby/Facebook