GENERAL CONDITIONS
With summer coming to an end very soon, the weather has been pretty steady in the high 70's to low 80's and cat fishing has been picking up and becoming steady as well. More and more have been caught over by the island, dam, Half Moon Bay and over in Bass Cove. The water clarity has been great over the past couple of months with about a 6 foot visibility. However, the wind has been a problem later in the afternoon on a daily basis.

We are finally done losing water due to the construction on the west shore trail here at the marina, but the trail will soon be closed completely for the construction to take place on repaving and reconstruction the ADA pathway. Regardless of the low water level and the construction, we are still renting out boats. The project is set to be completed by October 31, 2012. Sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause.

Since the beginning of summer, we have planted a little over 4,500 lbs of catfish and we will begin planting trout again in about a month. When you bring in your big fish, we will take your picture and give you a "Lake Chabot Whopper Club" button. If you catch a whopper over 8 lbs (trout), 10 lbs (catfish) or 5 lbs (bass), you will also receive a Lake Chabot Whopper Mug. For beginning anglers, if you have any questions on what to use, please come down to the Marina and one of our friendly staff will be more than happy to help you get set up on your fishing adventure. Boating has been quite popular in the past few months, if you're looking to take out a boat; the best time to come out is in the morning or early afternoon to avoid crowds on the weekends. As mentioned before, the wind picking up in the late afternoon has caused us to give out warnings or not send out kayaks, rows or electric boats because of safety hazards.

Free fishing day is almost here! In about a week, September 8th, it'll be here and all fishing will be free for anyone! No license and no fishing permit are required, so come on down to Lake Chabot and try your chances at catching a whopper! Also coming up is Labor Day weekend and here at Lake Chabot Marina, we will be open until 7 PM Friday through Monday. After this holiday, our summer hours will be reverting back to how they are in the winter and we will be closed at 6 every day.

TROUT
Trout fishing is extremely slow right now. The lake has warmed up and all the trout are moving deeper into the water. With some luck, you might be able to pull a few out, but it's definitely the season for catfish now. If fishing for trout, it's best to go to the clearest parts of the lake which are the dam and Half Moon Bay area. Make sure to troll about 15+ feet down from the surface. Since it's been really slow for trout fishing, there's not much that can be used aside from the universal bait of night crawlers. When trolling for trout, be careful with the anglers fishing on the shoreline. Our last trout plant was June 14th, we have been planting catfish for the summer months and we will resume planting trout in about a month.

BASS
Attention all anglers! Bass fishing has been on the rise! Bass are currently in post-spawn mode, so they are near the shoreline, about 10-15 feet deep. If you are fishing for bass, they are hitting mostly in the early mornings and evenings mostly on plastics, jigs and hula grubs. Near the island or the tulles by Raccoon Point are always a good spot to fish for bass. Most of the anglers are throwing Senkos, drop shots and Brush hogs to get the fish to come out from their deep, off-shoreline structure. Livewells can be provided upon request thanks to Walton's Pond. Please practice catch and release for bass, as they are not stocked into the lake and their population depends on you!

CATFISH
It's catfish season! The water temperature has been steadily increasing over the past couple of months as well as the amount of catfish being caught. So far this year, we have planted a little over 4,000 lbs of catfish into Lake Chabot, though they have been planting over in Coot's Landing and not in our view. We are not sure when the last official catfish plant was or how many pounds it was, but it is done weekly. Typically around this time, catfish are going to be located by Raccoon point but they've been sticking around the Half Moon Bay and Coot's Landing area after being planted. Anglers are using mackerel, anchovies and chicken liver for bait, as well as night crawlers for live bait. For beginners, if you have any questions on what to use please come down to the Marina and one of our friendly staff will be more than happy to help get you set up for your fishing adventure. One of our regular fishermen, Ken Kruse, caught a 9.08 lb catfish over in Bass Cove using mackerel on Monday, August 27th.

WHOPPERS
On Monday, August 27th, Ken Kruse caught a 9.08 lb catfish over in Bass Cove using Mackerel.

HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday -- Thursday: Boat rentals are from
6:00am - 5:00pm. Boats are due in by 6:00pm.
Friday -- Sunday: Boat rentals are from 6:00am - 6:00pm. Boats are due in by 7:00pm.
Hours subject to change based on weather conditions and light levels.

Note: After the Labor Day our hours of operation will resume back to being open from 6:00 am - 6:00 pm.
Boat rentals will start at 6:00 am and end at 5:00 pm, and all boats will be due back in at 6:00 pm.