Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3806 Mar 1-15 2019 | Page 26

24 March 1 - 15, 2019 MAP FEATURE VOL.38 • ISS. 6 Lake Chabot offers plenty of shore and boat fishing access for anglers pursuing rainbow trout, channel catfish and largemouth bass. Photo courtesy of LAKE CHABOT MARINA & CAFÉ. Lake Chabot: San Leandro Creek’s Trout, Bass and Catfish Gem F or most of its history, Lake Chabot, situated on San Leandro Creek in the foothills east of San Leandro, wasn’t even open to fishing. Built in 1874-75 as a primary drinking water supply the East Bay, the 315-acre lake was closed to fishing and other recreation for 91 years. The lake finally opened for controlled recreational uses in 1965 after legislation was passed in the 1960s. The lake now serves as a standby emergency water supply. This urban fishing gem, with the forested foothills surrounding the lake now displaying a verdant carpet of green grass after the winter’s big rainfall, supports two types of fisheries – a put-and-take rainbow trout and channel catfish fishery and a resident largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish fishery. The rainbow trout are planted in the fall, winter and spring when the water temperature is cool enough to allow trout plants. In 2018, the lake was planted with s total of 15,450 pounds of rainbows by the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) and 1000 pounds by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). In 2017, the lake received similar numbers of trout – 15,500 pounds from EBRPD and 1000 pounds from CDFW. In 2019 to date, the agencies have planted trout twice a month, including 750 pounds the week of January 7, 1000 pounds the week of January 21 and 1000 pounds the week of February 4. Another plant of 750 pounds of rainbows is antic- Bryan Vicente of Tracy caught and released this 9 lb. largemouth bass while fishing at Indian Cove. Photo courtesy of LAKE CHABOT MARINA & CAFÉ. ipated the week of February 25, according to Edward Culver, EBRPD Fisheries Resource Analyst. Although Chabot’s rainbows are hatchery fish, some native land- locked steelhead from Upper San Leandro Reservoir upstream of Chabot are occa- sionally washed down into the reservoir during Dexter Miguel from Union City caught a 5.34 lb. rainbow trout at Raccoon Point while using a Cotton Cordell lure. high water Photo courtesy of LAKE CHABOT MARINA & CAFÉ. years, surprising anglers. The construction of Chabot Dam and sized trout. Ed Evans of Millbrae landed subsequent construction of Upper San a 22.40 lb. rainbow, the lake record and Leandro Dam on Redwood Creek, a largest-ever trout to come out of an East tributary of San Leandro Creek, in 1926 Bay lake, while trolling a fire tiger Rapala created a unique landlocked population of in April 2007. steelhead that has maintained its genetic The second most pursued fish at the lake integrity and is genetically similar to the is channel catfish. The park district stocks native coastal California steelhead. channel cats in the summer and early fall In this time of declining salmon and when the lake water is too warm to plant steelhead runs in California, the steelhead trout. They planted 3250 pounds of catfish population is of significant value to resto- in 2018 and 4250 pounds the previous ration efforts due to its genetic integrity. year. In fact, 615 San Leandro Reservoir trout Fishermen hook the catfish while were used in the steelhead reintroduction fishing catfish, dough baits, nightcrawlers, project conducted on Wildcat Creek in mackerel, chicken livers and other Tilden Park in 1983. “smelly” baits from shore and boat around Planted rainbow trout draw the vast the lake. majority of anglers to Chabot. Anglers Many of the catfish become “holdovers” hook the trout while shore fishing from and grow big and fat in the lake’s fertile docks and shore around the reservoir. waters. George Goveia of Castro Valley They use baits including PowerBait, set the lake catfish record of 35 pounds Power Eggs, MiceTails, Zeke’s Sierra when he fished chicken liver on the lake Gold floating trout bait, nightcrawlers and in 1981. lures including Kastmasters, Little Cleos, In recent years, anglers set two new lake Rooster Tails and Panther Martins. records. Ryan Reynolds of San Mateo set Trollers employ nightcrawlers behind a new largemouth bass record for Chabot, dodgers and crawlers, along with Rapalas, catching a 19-pounder, one of the largest Needlefish, Cripplures, Hum Dingers, bass ever landed in northern California, on Apex and other lures. October 28, 2016. Every time you go to Lake Chabot you Reynolds was fishing with a jig at Alder have a chance of catching a monster- Point on Lake Chabot at 10 a.m. when he