GENERAL CONDITIONS
With the rain fall that we have received in the past week, the water is murky and dark. With this, it's caused anglers to have troubles catching any fish. On the upside, the lake did gain a foot of water. For the time being with how dark the water is, despite the 2 foot visibility near the marina, it's been slow in the fishing department. There are some parts of the lake that have a 6-7 foot visibility, mostly on the left side of the lake near the west shore trail. The wind has been off and on during the afternoons, some days it causes us to not send out kayaks, rows or electrics but other days we are perfectly fine. With the New Year, the construction has finally been completed and the launch ramp is open to the public as well as the ADA dock!

Because of the muddy water, fishing has been extremely slow but we are still continuing to plant weekly from Mt. Lassen with trout. Our last few plants have been in the new fish tube right next to the marina. They usually happen on Tuesday or Wednesday if anyone wants to come down to check it out! When you bring in a fish of 5 lbs or more, 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 or where to go, please come down to the Marina and one of our friendly staff members will be more than happy to help you get set up on your fishing adventure. With it coming into the middle of winter, boat rentals have slowed down a lot, so take advantage of the small crowds and come take out a boat! Be wary of the wind in the afternoons though if you plan on taking out an electric, row or kayak!

We have converted back to our winter hours! Every day we will be opening at 7am and closing at 4:30pm and stopping boat rentals at 3:30pm. In February, we'll be changing our hours so be sure to check out for when that will be happening! We will be opening at 6:30 am and closing at 5:30 pm. We'll stop renting out boats at 4:30 so if you want to take one out, be sure to come in before then so you are sure to get one!

TROUT
Trout fishing has slowed down a lot due to the rain and water clarity, hopefully within the next couple of weeks the mud will settle down to the bottom of the lake and it will clear up. For now, make sure to use bait that is bright and stinky to lure the fish in and if you're going to be trolling, the best lures to use are Firetiger Rapalas, Kastmasters and Mirashads. To be safe, even adding on a flasher would help as well! When they do start to pick up, chartreuse and rainbow Powerbait will be the best baits to catch trout! When trolling, make sure to let out about a hundred feet of line and let the motor do all the work but also be wary of other anglers on the shoreline so your lines don't get caught!

We've had one whopper in the past week caught by John Chan, Photo #1 that weighed in at 6.02 lbs over in Alder Point using a Mirrashad on January 5th.

BASS
Bass fishing has been slowing down as we enter into trout season. If you are fishing for bass, they are hitting mostly in the early mornings and evenings on plastics, jigs and hula grubs. A good spot to fish for bass would be near the island, or the tulles by Raccoon Point. 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 in the lake and their population depends on you!

CATFISH
Catfishing is slow this time due to the water temperature. Look for better catfishing conditions when the water warms back up. Typically around this time, catfish are going to be located by Raccoon point, but they have also been around the Half Moon Bay area, behind the island, and Coot's Landing. Anglers are using mackerel, anchovies and chicken liver for bait, as well as night crawlers.

We are done planting catfish for the year, so grab your most stinky bait and come on out before all the catfish swim back down to the bottom of the lake!

Eric Jorgensen, Photo #2 caught a 14.3 lb catfish over by the island using chicken liver on New Year's eve.

WHOPPERS
John Chan from Hong Kong caught a 6.02 lb trout over in Alder Point using a Mirrashad.
Eric Jorgensen from San Leandro caught a 14.3 lb catfish over by the island using chicken liver.

HOURS OF OPERATION

Monday -- Sunday: Boat rentals are from 7:00am - 3:30pm. Boats are due in by 4:30pm.
Hours subject to change based on weather conditions and light levels.