GENERAL CONDITIONS
With it being summer, the heat has been picking up steadily and cat fishing has been picking up as well. More and more have been caught over by the island, dam and Half Moon Bay. The water clarity has been great in the past few weeks with about a 6 foot visibility. However, the wind has been a problem later in the afternoon on a daily basis. Water is about 10 feet from spillway and we are finally done losing water due to the construction on the west trail here at the marina. Regardless of the construction and low water level, we are still renting out boats. The west shore trail will be closed for a short amount of time due to the construction on the ADA pathway; 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 3,000 lbs of catfish.

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 for your fishing adventure. Boating has been picking up more and more during the summer months, if you're looking to take out a boat, the best time is to come out in the morning or early afternoon. 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.

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. The best bait to use a jointed Rapala (J-7) Firetiger Rainbow Trout pattern and Pink Mira Shad with some weights in front of the lure. Drift fishing is another way to pull out trout in front of the island and Half Moon Bay, using Powerbait/Power Eggs or night crawlers. When trolling for trout, be careful with the anglers fishing on the shoreline. Our last trout plant was Tuesday, June 14th, we will not be getting any more trout plants until fall and for the rest of the summer we will be planting catfish.

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! Within the past few weeks or so, Lake Chabot Marina employee Erich Coulter (see on photo above) has caught bass ranging from 4 lbs to 7 lbs in the Coot's Landing area as well as one over in Bass Cove using Lunker Punker topwater swimbait. Another Lake Chabot Marina employee, Joey Coelho caught a 9.5 lbs bass over in Half Moon Bay using crank bait.

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 3,000 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. Over the course of the past week, one of our regular fishermen, Ken Kruse Photo #1, has caught on a few different days a catfish limit of 5 fish. More recently, July 30th, Kruse caught three catfish. The biggest being 11.30 lbs over in Bass Cove using mackerel. 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.

WHOPPERS
On July 30th, Ken Kruse caught three catfish with the biggest being 11.30 lbs over in Bass Cove using mackerel. That same day, Lake Chabot Marina employee, Erich Coulter, caught two bass over in Bass Cove and Coot's Landing ranging from 4 lbs to 6 lbs using Lunker Punker topwater swimbait.

SPECIALS

HALF OFF ALL BOAT RENTALS (including Patio Boats!) Tuesday -- Thursday (non-holidays)

TAKE A TOUR ON THE LAKE CHABOT QUEEN
Tours have started up on the weekends recently, sending the Queen out 3 or 4 times on both Saturday and Sunday each weekend. The adult price to take a ride on the Queen is $4.25 and for kids (12 and under) it is $2.75.

When taking a ride on the Queen and go around Lake Chabot to see all the amazing sights as well as possibly catch a glimpse of our very own Bald Eagle or its nest over in Bass Cove.

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.