GENERAL CONDITIONS
With all the rain we received this past week, it muddied up the lake quite a bit. But on the upside of things we did get about a foot of water. Clarity remains to be about 0 foot visibility near the shoreline but in the deeper parts of the lake, it's about 6-7 foot visibility. The wind has been slowing down in the afternoons, though it does randomly pick up some days causing us to not send out rows, kayaks and electric boats. The construction project is completed and is open to the public but the public launch will be closed until water level rises.

Two weeks ago we planted over several thousand lbs of trout into Lake Chabot from two different hatcheries, one from Mt. Lassen and the other from Oregon. On Tuesday, December 4th, Mt. Lassen planted 1,000 lbs. right next to the marina in the new fish tube.

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, 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. Boat rentals have slowed down due to the weather and summer ending, so take advantage of the small crowds and come take out a boat! As mentioned before, the wind picking up in the late afternoon has caused us to give out warnings or not send out rows, kayaks or electric boats do to safety hazards.

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. Weekends will be the same time as of Thursday, November 1st. We are making no exceptions if you come in at 3:30pm to rent a boat, we stop renting at those times for a reason.

TROUT
Trout fishing slowed down quite a bit due to the rain and water clarity. The mud should settle in about a week, so fishing will be slow until then. Usually this time of the year the best way to catch trout is by trolling. Some of the best lures to troll with are: Firetiger Rapalas, Kastmaster, and Mirashads. When they do start to bite more frequently, chartreuse and rainbow Powerbait will be your best bet to catch trout! When trolling for trout, be careful with the anglers fishing on the shoreline so your lines don't get caught.

Within the past week or so, we've only had one whopper which was caught by Dave McLeod. His trout weighed in at 6.13 lbs and he caught it over on the shore of Indian Cove using garlic PowerBait.

BASS
Bass fishing has been slowing down as we enter into trout season. 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. 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
Summer is over and catfish are slowing down. The water temperature was warm and consistent all summer long, but it is starting to cool off a bit. We planted a little over 5,000 lbs of catfish into Lake Chabot this season. 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!

WHOPPERS
Dave McLeod caught a 6.13 lbs trout using garlic PowerBait over on the shoreline of Indian Cove on December 8th, 2012.

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.