Anglers' Edge Online

Vol. 1159 | February 21, 2020

NO SMOKING on EBRPD property, including all piers, parks & trails. (Ord. 38, Sec. 404.3)

• Fishing Rules
• Which Fish Are in Which Lakes?
• Fish Planting Information
• General Activity
• Boat Rental Information
• General Information

Fish Planting Information

The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) plants rainbow trout and channel catfish up to 6+ pounds each. The California Department of Fish & Wildlife (DF&W) plants trout averaging over ½ pound each. Note: Plants are subject to change due to weather conditions.

Attention Anglers

1. DO NOT LET YOUR DOG EAT OR LICK RAW TROUT/SALMON. They may be infected with a parasitic disease which can be fatal to your pet. For more information call Fisheries Manager Joe Sullivan at (510) 544-2329.
2. EBRPD recommends all bass be released. Please do not remove tags from released bass. Record the tag number, length, and weight of the fish to include in your catch report.
3. Please report your catches and turn in all retrieved tags from kept bass to the marina or kiosk attendant. Length and weight (if possible), location and date would be helpful also
4. Please remember to clean up any fouled line and bait containers. Wildlife can be injured or killed by fishing line!! Please use the special fishing line disposal tubes at Del Valle, Lake Chabot, Quarry Lakes and Shadow Cliffs. Recycling your broken fishing monofilament helps protect wildlife.
5. All park hours are 6am to 7pm unless otherwise posted.

General Activity

DEL VALLE (LIVERMORE) »

HOURS OF OPERATION
OPEN Seven Days a Week
February: 7:00 am - 6:00 pm; all watercrafts must be off the lake by 5:00 pm.
March: 6:00 am – 7:00 pm; all watercraft must be off the lake by 6:00 pm.

GENERAL CONDITIONS
Fishing at Lake Del Valle has been very good the past few days for Rainbow Trout, Catfish.
Weather: The past few days the mornings have been cold, but it warms up throughout the day.
Clarity of water: Murky about 4-foot visibility near the Marina, once you get past the Lower Narrows it clears up and it is about a 10-foot visibility.
Temperature of lake: 48 Degrees F.

BLUEGILL/PANFISH
Bluegill and Crappie have been favoring Red Worms and Mini Nightcrawlers. Other productive baits have been panfish jigs and small Kastmasters in a variety of colors. The Panfish are on the main lake trees near rock outcroppings.

TROUT
Trout fishing has been great! We recommend fishing across from the Marina, in the Narrows, and in Swallow Bay. The trout have been hitting on almost everything, from Rapalas and Kastmasters, to spoons, Mice Tails, rainbow Powerbait, and even night crawlers.

CATFISH
The catfish always seem to prefer cut baits like Anchovies, Sardines, Mackerel, and Chicken liver. The cats have been being caught all over the lake biting whatever is in front of them, the Narrows and by Swallow Bay have been productive recently.

BASS
The Bass are moving into deeper water as the winter continues to drop the temperature of the lake. If you want to bass fish, you need to hit some of the deeper water in the Narrows and near the Dam.

STRIPED BASS
Stripers are no longer at the dam boiling like they were these past weeks. Since the water level is dropping as we head into fall, the Striper have been pressured off the shallow bait balls and have been found mostly in the Heron bay. Anchovies still produce consistently throughout the day but produce best in the mornings and evenings. Other good producing baits are medium sized swimbaits and topwater spooks off of rock walls.

Jay Hill, Marco Diaz, and Nguyen from San Jose all caught some trout! The largest weighed five and three-quarters pound trout in front of the Marina. They were using Night Crawlers.

Dan Mendoza from Livermore caught an eight-and-a-half pound catfish out by the Dam. He was using Night Crawlers.

Raelyn and James from El Granada caught a two-pound trout in the upper Narrows. They were using Green Powerbait.

Charles Hull form San Jose caught a seven-and-three-quarters pound trout near the Marina. He was using Green Powerbait.

Miah from San Jose caught a five-pound trout across from the Marina. She was using a silver Kastmaster.

LAKE CHABOT (CASTRO VALLEY) »

HOURS OF OPERATION
February: 6:30 am – 5:00 pm with boats due in by 4:30 pm.
March: 6:00 am – 7:00 pm; all boats are due back to the marina by 6:30 pm.
Hours are subject to change based on weather conditions and light levels.
We encourage all anglers to report their stories, comments, or concerns to the Marina. Thanks again for choosing Lake Chabot as your recreation destination.

GENERAL CONDITIONS
The water temperature is in the mid-60s and water clarity is about four feet. Please follow our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/lakechabot, for weekly updates on fishing conditions.

TROUT
We have received some trout and many anglers are catching their limits! Come on in and share your catches!

BASS
Anglers are using plastic worms or swim baits. There has been an abundance of smaller size bass (one to three pounds) being caught all over the lake along the shorelines. Senkos have been the most popular bait to use.
Please practice catch and release for bass as they are not stocked into the lake and their population depends on you!

Check out Jessie and Elizah’s nearly six-pound rainbow trout!

David caught several trout, including this over ten-pound trout! What a catch!

John caught this gorgeous seven-pound trout while fishing at Lake Chabot!

TEMESCAL (OAKLAND) »

HOURS OF OPERATION
OPEN Seven Days a Week
5:00 am – 10:00 pm, unless otherwise posted. Gate hours are 8:00 am – 10:00 pm.

GENERAL CONDITIONS
We are getting reports of largemouth bass and rainbow trout being caught, but we have not received any photos. If you would like your catches highlighted here, approach park staff!

DON CASTRO (HAYWARD) »

HOURS OF OPERATION
OPEN Seven Days a Week
8:00 am – 8:00 pm; Park Curfew is 8:00 pm – 5:00 am

GENERAL CONDITIONS
Please remember that a California state-fishing license is required for anglers aged 16 or older. In addition, a Park District daily fishing permit is required and may be purchased from the iron ranger located at the swim complex gate.
Please remember there is NO fishing on or around the fish plant site and dock for two hours after a fish plant.

HORSESHOE LAKE, QUARRY LAKES (UNION CITY/FREMONT) »

HOURS OF OPERATION
OPEN Seven Days a Week
February-March: 6:00 am – 6:00 pm; Kiosk Hours: 6:00 am – 6:00 pm; boaters can go through inspection and launch up until 4:00 pm and get banded before 5:00 pm

GENERAL CONDITIONS
If the kiosk is closed, please use the yellow Ventek machine to pay for parking (exact change only, please). For fishing permits, you may use either the Ventek machine or the blue iron ranger posts across from the kiosk, from the entrance from the Isherwood Staging Area, and from the walk-through gates by the Sequoia Bridge and from the Niles gate.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU MUST BE 100 FEET AWAY FROM THE FISH TUBE, THE BOAT DOCK, AND THE BEACH AREA while fishing from the shore and from a boat. Also, note that the use of lead fishing tackle is prohibited at Quarry Lakes. You can exchange lead tackle at the kiosk in a “1 for 1” trade for stainless steel weights.

If you want to report your catches, or have your photo taken, please come to the kiosk, and we will take your information!

Jack Antrim of Hayward caught and released seven DF&W trout using a Rainbow Runner from his boat on the backside of Horseshoe Lake.

Pedro I. of Newark caught a two-and-a-quarter pound rainbow trout on the backside of Horseshoe Lake using red, white, and blue Powerbait.

Paul Hess of Hayward caught his limit of trout on Fisherman's Row using corn yellow Powerbait.

CONTRA LOMA (ANTIOCH) »

HOURS OF OPERATION
February: 7:00 am – 6:00 pm; all watercraft must be off the lake by 4:00 pm.
March 7:00 am – 7:00 pm; all watercraft must be off the lake by 5:00 pm.

GENERAL CONDITIONS
Reminder to boaters: All watercrafts (including float tubes) need to have a wearable Coast Guard approved personal floatation device (PFD) per person. Children age 12 and under must wear personal floatation device (PFD) while the vessel is underway.

Contra Loma has a great sunfish population including Bluegill and Redear Sunfish. These fish can usually be found in the shallower and more vegetated coves and along the dam face. We would recommend using small lures or worms if you are targeting the sunfish.

TROUT
We recommend fishing with Powerbait, lures, or nightcrawlers for the trout. Anglers are catching small size trout at the boat ramp area using pink/green colored lures. The large whopper size trout are biting near the Swim Lagoon or west dock with white mice tail or garlic scented Powerbait.

CATFISH
Try fishing for catfish at Channel Point or Loma Island with anchovies, nightcrawlers or chicken livers. Boaters would do well toward the middle of the reservoir or along the dam.

BASS
The black bass population at Contra Loma is thriving with lots of large bass in the lake! They will bite at artificial lures and baits, and they tend to chase the stocked trout, so a good swimming lure that resembles a trout should help you hook into some of the bass in the lake.

Please practice catch and release for bass as they are not stocked into the lake and their population depends on you!

Mark S. caught a five-and-a-quarter pound trout from a boat with mice tail.

Mark S. caught a five-and-three-quarters pound trout from a boat with Powerbait.

Hayes P. caught two, five-and-a-half-pound trout from a boat near Quail Cove and Swim Lagoon with white mice tail and garlic Powerbait.

SHADOW CLIFFS REGIONAL PARK (PLEASANTON) »

HOURS OF OPERATION
February: 7:00 am to 5:00 pm; Boat Banding ends at 4:00 pm
All watercraft must be off the lake by 4:00 pm
March – May: 6:00 am to 7:00 pm; Boat banding ends at 6:00 pm
All watercraft must be off the lake by 6:00 pm
Concession Hours: Closed for the season
Marina Hours: Closed for the season

Trail Closures: The third dock is only accessible via the levee trail. The trail between the second and third dock that runs alongside the lake is closed until further notice.

Please note boaters must be 100 feet away from the fish tube, swim ropes and the boat docks.

GENERAL CONDITIONS
The weather has been cool in the mornings with temperatures reaching into the 60s in the afternoon.
Water Temperature: 58 degrees, depending on depth.
Water Clarity: Visibility seems to vary between 10-15 feet.

George caught this five-pound trout in his boat on February 11 about 100 yards from the first dock.

Hawaiian Ben caught this six-pound trout on February 7 near the swim area.

Mike caught this stringer of trout on February11 near the swim area and boat launch.

Richard caught this seven-pound trout on February 12 from the shoreline next to the first dock.

We encourage all anglers to stop by our kiosk on the way out to report catches, stories, comments, and/or concerns.
All personal watercraft must be off the lake ½ hour before sunset.
******************************************************************
REGULATIONS FOR THE ARROYO PONDS
* EBRPD Daily Fishing Permit, CA State Fishing License
Catch and Release, Barbless Hooks, Artificial lures, Float tubes only.

FERRY PT. (MILLER KNOX) »

HOURS OF OPERATION
OPEN Seven Days a Week
Park Hours: 5:00 am - 10:00 pm
Parking lot open 7:00 am - 4:30 pm

GENERAL CONDITIONS
We have had foggy mornings that often turn into sunny and cool days.
Halibut have been biting at the Ferry Point Pier. Some anglers are also going for striped bass from the shoreline.
Reminder to boaters: Seas have been rough due to the high winds!
Attention anglers: Please do your part to keep the pier clean!

PT. PINOLE PIER (RICHMOND) »

HOURS OF OPERATION
OPEN Seven Days a Week
San Pablo Bay open 24 hours for fishing
Shuttle operates 7:30 am – 3:00 pm
Park/Gate hours 7:00 am - 5:00 pm

GENERAL CONDITIONS
Fishing has slowed down with the strong winds and muddy water coming in.
Reminder to boaters: Please check conditions before launching your boat as conditions can change quickly this time of year.
Pier retrofit is complete, with all new benches, windscreens and cleaning station.

STRIPED BASS
There have been a few striped bass caught from the fishing pier, but most are too small to keep in the 20-35 inch range.

OTHER SPECIES
Several rays, jack smelt, and one halibut have been caught along with several sharks, and lots of seaweed.

ANTIOCH (OAKLEY) »

HOURS OF OPERATION
PIER OPEN 24/7 - Free Parking - No Overnight Camping-
NO SMOKING in the park or on the pier

GENERAL CONDITIONS
Fishing has been quite slow. Staff reports limited catches along the Antioch Shoreline. Most anglers are only catching smaller striped bass.

GENERAL CONDITIONS
Fishing information can be found our Fishing page.
Fees and Licenses: A California State Fishing License and an EBRPD fishing access permit ($5 per day for persons 16 years+) are required to fish at Del Valle, Contra Loma, Lake Chabot, Shadow Cliffs, Temescal, Don Castro, and Quarry Lakes.

NEW STURGEON REGULATIONS:  Sturgeon must be between 40 and 60 inches, (fork length) to keep.
• Sturgeon regulations - California Department of Fish & Wildlife [PDF] 

General Information

General Fishing information: Fishing Activities

Guidelines for Fish Consumption: Fishing Advisories

Fees and Licenses: A California State Fishing License and an EBRPD fishing access permit ($5 per day for persons 16 years+) are required to fish at Del Valle, Contra Loma, Lake Chabot, Shadow Cliffs, Temescal, Don Castro, and Quarry Lakes.

Individual Membership Program

Angler

• Includes all the benefits of Basic Membership plus boat launch and annual fishing permit for one named individual; state fishing permit also required for individuals 16 years and older $300.

Special Access Angler (Seniors, Students, Veterans and persons with disabilities)

• Senior Anglers must be 62+ years of age
• Proof of eligibility required. Please supply documentation to membership@ebparks.org or fax it to (510) 635-3478 (attn: Membership) $180.