The draw to the Lower Kings is Fish and Game’s broodfish program, unusual for easily accessible rivers.

During the winter and spring, hundreds of 3- to 6-pound ‘bows are stocked, giving anglers an opportunity to catch something other than half-pound planters.

Being successful on the Kings is no major challenge. With easy access, three spots you shouldn’t overlook are Winton Recreation Area, Choinumni Recreation Area and above the bridge just below Pine Flat Dam.

Targeting pools and runs through these sections will put you in position to tag easy limits.

LAKE SUCCESS
Lake Success can be the best -- or the worst -- trout fishery in the Central Valley. Lately, it’s been among the worst because it’s basically an irrigation reservoir, and managers tend to suck it dry almost annually.

In fall of 2007, Success was only 4 percent of full. To help you envision that more vividly, at full pool it offers 82,300 acre-feet of storage. The number had dwindled to 3,374 and was falling.

The lake won’t rise until spring runoff shows -- or if the Tule River drainage receives enough rain to push levels higher. Flows will rise in the winter, but don’t tend to become too extreme until snowmelt begins in March. Fortunately, even a small pool at the dam will pave the way for Fish and Game to unload trout into the pitiful water levels that fishermen complain are mismanaged annually.

Unless Mother Nature pummels the region with rain, the launch ramps will likely be hanging out on dry land. Don’t let that discourage you. We’re in the business of catching trout, right? Trout fishing will be exceptional as long as the lake remains close to minimum pool.

Why? Because they have nowhere to go.

Lake Success can be an excellent seasonal trout fishery. Spring is best. Summer can be horrible as water-skiers turn the lake into a highway. For now, Lake Success will be a quiet fishing lake, one that can be tackled by trout-anglers lining the shorelines and soaking bait. It doesn’t matter what that bait is: eggs, worms, dough baits, crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms -- heck, these are stocked trout and they’ll eat anything. It’s best to buy a second rod stamp, soak bait on one rod and use the other to cast Cripplures, Thomas Buoyants, Krocodiles, Panther Martins, Rooster Tails or Mepps. They could get you a limit in a short time anywhere in front of Highway 190.

An incentive to fishing Success comes with the quality of trout planted. Normally, nothing smaller than 12 inches is stocked, although a few 10- and 11-inchers might slip into the stocking truck.

As a rule 12- to 14-inch fish are standard, which beats most of the trout stocked in local parks and streams in the foothills.

BUENA VISTA LAKE
The Central Valley isn’t well known for its excellent trout fisheries on the valley floor. Nevertheless, Buena Vista is one of the few reservoirs that offer anglers a chance to fish for trout without having to drive into the foothills.

Buena Vista doesn’t support trout throughout the year. The trout season is short-lived, running from November through April. By late May, 100-degree-plus days and a lake that averages roughly nine feet deep spells death to most of the trout. By early summer, they are all gone.

Fortunately, a strong winter stocking schedule enables Buena Vista to shine as a quality winter trout spot.

Few dinkers are planted. Most run 1 to 2 pounds, yet many trophy trout are planted. Each year, a few fish heavier than 20 pounds are planted.