Chambers County Lake reopens and holds tournament
By KADIE TAYLOR
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
CHAMBERS COUNTY — The Chambers County Lake has reopened for the 2026 season and has already become a space for locals to enjoy the sun and the water. The Chambers County Lake offers a $5 Day Permit, along with Non-Resident Daily Permits and Non-Resident Yearly Permits.
“We’re looking forward to the weather getting better,” Chambers County Lake Co-Manager Alan Franks said. “We’re looking forward to [visitors] picking up. We’ve got more fish this year. We’ve got catfish put in, we’ve got crappie put in — I’m sure that’s going to help out a lot. The catfish, when they put them in, are more or less over a pound apiece — so they’re already ready to catch, take home and eat — and they put over 4,000 of them [in the lake]. The crappie are steadily going to be put in more during March. They were a fairly good size when they put them in. I think that’s going to help us out later on in the season, as the days get warmer and the bass slow down, catfish will pick up. I think we’ll probably do better continually this year, but last year, after July, August, September — it got really slow — because it got so warm and hot. We’re thinking this year is probably gonna be a little bit better.”
Co-Manager Karen Franks said she is excited to see many of the customers she grew to know last year return to Chambers County Lake for the 2026 season.
“We’ve seen quite a few of the same customers just this past week, who were coming in last year,” she said. “We feel like we’re going to get a lot of those regulars. I enjoy recognizing them when they come in, so that’s a plus, that they want to come back. I enjoyed last year; it was our first year managing the lake. I didn’t know how I’d feel about it, because I’ve never done anything like this before — but I enjoy it. It’s been a nice place to be — I just really enjoy the people. They come in excited, and I especially love seeing the little kids coming to catch fish.”
For this season, Alan and Karen Franks said Franks Bait and Tackle will continue to supply snacks and fishing items for visitors and are updating the offerings to respond to what people enjoyed in 2025.
We got some new baits and stuff for the store, and different kinds of items and fishing supplies that we picked up over the winter — and a couple of new suppliers,” he said. “We got the boat rentals that we had last year. We’ve got the pavilion, the playground and everything we had last year, got heaps of sandwiches, hot dogs, drinks and [other items so we can] try to provide a little service for when they come out here and want to get a snack or something. We also have grills.”
“We’re trying to do more snacks and drinks and things,” she said. “I have everything that people need, so they don’t have to leave elsewhere — it’s all here for them.”
There will be a Chambers County Lake Fishing Catch, Measure, Photograph and Release Tournament on March 28 from sunrise to 3 p.m. with a five-fish limit. Entry is $50 for a two-person team and $25 for an individual and the tournament will have a 25-boat maximum.
For more information, visit Chambers County Lake on Facebook, call (334) 219-0217 or visit the Chambers County Lake at 1145 County Road 292, LaFayette.
