The downfall is the quality of rainbows. Since they are farm-raised and must huddle in ponds with thousands of other trout, their colors are bland. Scales tend to be flaky, and half-tails are normal. On the other hand, most anglers simply want to catch trout -- and they can achieve that here.

It doesn’t take a genius to fish at Buena Vista. All the trout are stocked into 86-acre Lake Evans, the smaller of the two waters inside the Buena Vista Recreation Area. Trolling and shoreline-fishing are effective, but keep in mind this lake is small -- extremely small. There’s an island in the middle of the lake, and no point is deeper than 16 feet.

Another thing to consider is the amount of water between the island and the shore. In most spots, you could cast a night crawler and hit the island: There aren’t many areas for the trout to hide. Buena Vista is an easy place to fish.

A 5-mph speed limit keeps the lake quiet. But trolling can be effective. If you opt to troll, plan to run short lines and shallow-running lures. When lures are run more than 50 feet behind the boat, most likely you’ll get a tangle with someone else’s line.

A Needlefish or something lightweight is best.

There are no hotspots. Try to cover as much water as possible. Circle the island in search of active trout.

From the bank, this is a bait-dunker lake. Anglers cast out worms, dough baits, salmon eggs and crickets. Because there’s so much fishing pressure in a small general area, using scent is a must. Garlic, crawdad, anise, krill and other scents should help increase your catch rates.

On a side note, in order to pay for the trout, anglers are charged a day-use and fishing fee. This is one of the few waters in the Central Valley that forces anglers to pay to fish in addition to having a license.

But a large number of trophy fish are stocked, and most anglers have no problem paying the fee.

LOS BANOS RESERVOIR
Even in the Central Valley, there are a few spots that anglers overlook. One of the best is Los Banos Reservoir. Often overshadowed by nearby San Luis Reservoir, Los Banos is located on the western edge of the Central Valley and doubles as a good spot for catfish, trout, panfish and largemouth.

Los Banos isn’t a prolific trout fishery, but it does give anglers the opportunity to chase trout in an environment that isn’t overwhelmed by other anglers.

Fish and Game releases more than 10,000 half-pound rainbows, nearly half of which are a foot or longer. Try not to get too excited, though -- trophy fish aren’t in the cards. A 2-pound rainbow is big here.

The reservoir isn’t huge, but it’s large enough for anglers to troll. You can be successful in small car-top boats or larger vessels like you’d see trolling for kokanee in Don Pedro and New Melones reservoirs.

Downriggers aren’t necessary, although they can be helpful at times. Trout can be found in two portions of the water column: near the surface and down 10 to 20 feet.

Trollers don’t need to run long lines, but because pressure will be low, it’s an option. The key is to run lures off the tips of points, through coves and around the dam and steep-walled areas. Trout remain in these areas through spring and don’t go too deep until extreme heat arrives.

There’s no need to run large baits. These trout are mostly 10 to 12 inches, so small spoons, broken-back minnow imitations and flasher-and-crawler combos are most effective.

Los Banos is a great float-tube lake in the spring. Anglers can work the area close to the launch ramp, yet be out of reach from where the shore-anglers are fishing.

Shoreline anglers have an easy go of it here. In fact, there’s no reason to stray far from the launch ramp. With trout stocked twice a month, there are always some hanging out near the launch ramp. Fishing the vicinity of this area can almost guarantee a limit, if you have a few hours to spare.

I’d recommend getting a second rod stamp here as well. Then you could inflate a night crawler or use a marshmallow to float a natural salmon egg off the bottom while casting spoons and spinners towards rising trout.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Shaffer is the author of The Definitive Guide to Fishing Central California. His books can be purchased online at the Web site www.fishingcalifornia.net