Fortunately, the cutthroat were able to withstand the harsh conditions and continue to thrive today. "We're right in the middle of our most productive season for catching Walker Lake cutthroat," explained Ed Jones of Ed's Bait and Tackle in Hawthorne. "The fish are making their move to shallow water and we'll have fantastic fishing for the next few months."

Just how good is the action at Walker? "For the past month, I've been averaging anywhere from 20 to 40 fish a trip for two anglers," exclaimed Jones. "I ran a guide trip for two anglers yesterday and we landed 24 cutthroat to 4 pounds. The average fish is in the 2 to 2-1/2 pound class and will measure out at 18 to 20 inches."

According to Jones, the most productive areas at press time are Sand Beach along the east shore, Tamarack Beach and Ski Beach. "The fish are stacked up in the shallows right now in water from 6 to 15 feet deep," he explained.

"We're catching fish top-lining a variety of lures including a #3 Tor-P-Do, Flatfish and Apexes. It doesn't really seem to matter what colors you use because the fish aren't very particular. My favorite Tor-P-Do has been the red and white stripe pattern. As for the Flatfish and Apexes, anything in green or chartreuse has been working very well."

The best part about fishing this time of year is you don't have to wake up an hour before sunrise to get in on the action. In fact, some of the best fishing can be found during the heat of the day from mid to late afternoon. "Yesterday, we were on the water around 8:00 am and fished until 1:00 pm," said Jones. "The bite is very consistent throughout the entire day. They'll go on a bite, slow down for a bit, then start right back up again."

Not only is Walker Lake a troller's paradise, but bank fishing is extremely productive here as well. "The bank fishermen have been doing great this week," said Jones. "I would say the average guy has been landing between 8 and 10 fish a day. Power Bait in red, white and blue or chartreuse is probably the hottest bait going, but you can also catch a lot of fish casting spoons such as a #2 Tor-P-Do."

Jones said Walker Lake cutthroat typically spawn during the months of March and April, thus the reason they are now staging in shallow water. "These fish will be up in the shallows during February, March and possibly into April," he said. "Once the spawn is over, they will scatter and move out to deeper water."

Another reason to hit Walker is the lake level continues to drop every year and no one knows how much longer the outstanding cutthroat action will continue. "The lake is five miles wide, fifteen miles long and about 90 feet at its deepest," said Jones. "We've got plenty of water at this point, but the lake has been dropping about four feet a year since 1998."