During the fall and winter, it is most popular with trout fishermen looking for a big rainbow trout. The reservoir is planted with a total of 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of rainbow trout every year, according to Chad Glenn of the Moccasin Creek Fish Hatchery. The DFG makes its plants of 200 to 400 pounds on a bi-weekly basis from November through February.

The lake is known for its big, fat holdover rainbows that thrive in the cold, nutrient rich water that comes through a canal from the Stanislaus River below Goodwin Dam. Although the lake is shallow, fish are able to survive year round because of the influx of cold water, according to Tom Wilson of the Woodward Reservoir Recreation Area.

The lake rainbow trout record, an 8.6 pound beauty caught by an angler named Richard, fell for a Power Bait and a nightcrawler combination in the inlet on September 5, 1999. However, anglers regularly catch holdover trout in the 2 to 4 pound class while bait fishing and trolling at the lake.

When Tom Mulderrig and I visited the lake for the first time on November 12, the fishing was tough, probably because of the unusually cold, freezing weather that descended on the Central Valley. The frost on the cars and lawns made it seem more like January than the second week in November. Since the water was down 6 feet from full, he advised us to fish the deeper areas including Cocklebur Beach, Picnic Point, the launch ramp area, and the inlet. "The water is down and the lake is shallow, so you want to cast out as far as you can," advised the amiable Wilson. However, we didn't get any bites fishing at all three locations, nor did the four other anglers that we saw bank fishing off Cocklebur Beach. Dave Bach, who usually finds good bass action during the winter, didn't catch any keeper bass, though he reported releasing a few shakers. "I should pick up some decent bass in these weedbeds near the marina," he stated as he threw out some white buzzbaits and brown jigs. However, he didn't hook any fish in this likely-looking spot, probably because of the icy cold weather that dropped water temperatures dramatically.

When the water is low like it is now, bait fishing or trolling from a boat is more effective than bank fishing, though the only two boaters trying for trout on our trip didn't catch anything. Trollers should find the best action while finding the creek channel on their graphs and trolling along it. Minnow imitation lures that are effective on Tulloch, New Melones and other local lakes, such as Sparklefish, Goldeneyes, Cripplures, Apexes and Rapalas, are also effective on Woodward.

Big Florida-strain largemouth bass in the 9 to 11 pound class have been caught in Woodward, while the lake record is 12 pounds, according to Wilson. The lake supports a big population of smallmouth bass, which is somewhat surprising since the rolling grassland, weedbeds and shallow flats that predominate on the lake make it look more like an exclusively largemouth fishery.

Dan Mathisen, Fish Sniffer columnist, has found good smallmouth fishing while bank and boat fishing at Woodward over the years. "You can slam the smallmouth bass while fishing 4 to 6 inch Magic Worms or 1/4 ounce brown jigs off the deeper ledges in the spring and fall," he said. "Split shotting worms in the grass beds and creek channel is also good. When I used to fish the lake a lot, I caught a lot of quality fish up to 3 pounds." One great thing about the lake is that the campgrounds go right down to the water level, allowing anglers to fish right off their campsites for catfish and other species when the water is warm during the spring and summer months, according to Mathisen.

During the summer, anglers can find good numbers of catfish while fishing off the campgrounds and points. For example, Rocky Abreu of Oakdale likes to catfish at the lake during the summer and fall. "My son, Troll, and I have found great action fishing at night with nightcrawler/marshmallow combinations and anchovies off Hookup Lagoon in the fall," he stated. Most of the cats are pan-sized, with an occasional fish in the 5 to 6 pound range taken.

Black crappie round out the catches found at this fertile reservoir. Anglers experience the top action on crappie in the spring while working mini jigs and minnows around stickups, weedbeds and structure. However, the fishing for this cyclical fish has been tough in recent years.

The entry fee is $5.00 during the trout planting season and $6.00 the rest of the year. The launching fee for vessels is an additional $5.00. The hours are from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m.; however, vessels must be off the water a half hour after sunset.

Camping is available year round. The recreation area features 40 campsites with full hookups for $16.00 per night. A total of 112 developed sites with water are available at $14.00 per night. Undeveloped sites are also available anywhere past the cattle guard, but camping in this area is shut down after the first rains of the season.

For fishing and camping information, contact Woodward Reservation Regional Park, (209) 847-3304 or fax (209) 847-3304.