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 with cat fishing picking up and remaining steady. More and more have been caught over by the island, the dam, Half Moon Bay and over in Bass Cove. The water clarity has been great over the past couple of months with about 6 foot visibility. However, the wind has been a problem later in the afternoon on a daily basis. We are 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 reconstructing 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, but we will be starting with our trout plants 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, especially 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, row boats, or electric boats because of safety hazards.

Labor Day has come and gone, and after a successful weekend we are now converting back to our fall hours. Instead of closing at 6:00 pm on Monday - Thursday we will be closing at 5:00 pm. Instead of closing at 7:00 pm on Friday - Sunday we will be closing at 6:00 pm. However, do not let that affect your choice to visit and spend time at the fabulous and historical Lake Chabot!

Saturday, Sept 8, is California State FREE Fishing Day! Free fishing day is almost here! On September 8 fishing will be free for anyone and everyone! No license and no fishing permit are required, so come on down to Lake Chabot and try your chances at catching a whopper!

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, and we have been planting catfish for the summer months, but 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 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 4,500 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. We will only be planting catfish for a few more weeks before we start planting trout again, so grab your stinkiest bait and come on out before all the catfish swim back down to the bottom of the lake! 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.

HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday -- Thursday: Boat rentals are from 6:00am - 4:00pm. Boats are due in by 5:00pm.
Friday -- Sunday: Boat rentals are from 6:00am - 5:00pm. Boats are due in by 6:00pm.
Hours subject to change based on weather conditions and light levels.