I was really out Bear Hunting, but I wanted to try out my new backpacking gear before I made an extended trip into the wilderness. So I made the short hike into Evans; it seemed fine for my test purposes, and I wanted to try a little fishing at the same time. I had been there before, and had seen fish rising.
Traversing the horrible trail that bordered the lake, I kept searching for the "camp sites". There is one, brushy and very small. I set up, ate, and crashed.
Next morning, I rigged my spinning rod with a black Rooster Tail, and started flinging it out in the lake wherever the openings in the brush allowed. Evans is very shallow, and gin clear, I could see Rainbows cruising the shoreline. Sometimes they would follow my lure right up to the bank, it became maddening. Most of the fish were about 8", but some were bigger. They would follow , but not bite. I changed to different rooster tails, flatfish, and , ( I am ashamed to say), power-bait and eggs for very short time.
I fished all the way around that damned lake, crashing through brush for awhile. I had almost circumnavigated the entire lake, and wet to my knees, was almost back to my camp, when, on one of my last retrieves, a nice fish followed and engulfed my lure at the shoreline.
I landed a nice, very colorful 'bow, huge head but very skinny. Maybe a pound and a half, I ate it that night.
Maybe I will go back this summer, with a float tube and fly rod. Shore fishing is very tough, the brush makes casting extremely difficult, and the shallow, clear water makes the fish extremely spooky.
Overall, Evans is an easily accessed fishing opportunity that gives one a sense of fishing a Alpine Lake, without an extended hike. Watch out for bugs, and be prepared to crawl around trail obstructions to reach the attractive fishing spots.