On October 7, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife awarded $536,121 to the Tehama County Transportation Commission for something called the Woodson Boat Ramp Preservation and Access Planning Project. The key word in that name is "planning." The money pays for studies and a design for the ramp south of town. It does not pay to rebuild it. For anyone in Los Molinos with a drift boat or a trailer, that makes Mill Creek Park on Tehama Vina Road the town's own way onto the Sacramento this fall.
Two Winters of Damage at Woodson Bridge
The trouble at Woodson started with the February 2025 storms. KRCR reported on February 13, 2025 that Tehama County had declared an emergency after flooding caused severe damage near the bridge. By mid-April the launch was still closed. KRCR reported that clearing the flood debris would cost far more than the county had budgeted, and the Board of Supervisors decided to look for contributions from other agencies. The Chico Enterprise-Record reported the same decision two days later: the board chose not to open the launch and directed staff to seek repair money elsewhere.
This month's grant is the first funding answer, and the CDFW description shows how big the problem has become. In the state's award announcement, Jessica Riske-Gomez, deputy director of Tehama County Public Works–Transportation, described the damage this way:
"Repeated high-water events and ongoing bank erosion have damaged the ramp, access area, and adjacent embankment and put the long-term reliability of this public facility at risk."
In the same statement she called the ramp an important public access point serving "boaters, anglers and emergency responders throughout Tehama County."
What $536,121 Buys, and What It Doesn't
According to KRCR's October 8 story, the Transportation Commission will spend the money on hydraulic, geotechnical, engineering and environmental studies to choose a long-term plan for the ramp, the access area and the nearby embankment. On its boating access project map, CDFW says the main goal is a "near shovel-ready" project. A shovel-ready design still needs separate money before anyone builds it.
The same CDFW listing names a second, smaller part of the work: temporary maintenance under the county's annual boat-ramp permit, including ramp and access-road repairs, debris and sediment removal, and minor bank stabilization. That part matters most for the next few months. The award was announced this month, and neither the county nor the state has said when that work will be done.
Two different things carry the Woodson name, so it helps to keep them apart:
- Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area is a state park. It runs from April 1 to September 30 and is closed October 1 through March 31 every year, so it is in its usual off-season now.
- Tehama County River Park at Woodson Bridge, at 25340 South Avenue, is the county park with the public boat ramp. The county's page still describes a ramp with plenty of trailer parking, but it does not say whether the ramp is open today.
Before you tow a boat to South Avenue, call the Board of Supervisors office at 530-527-4655 or email [email protected]. Those are the contacts the county gave for questions when the launch closed.
Mill Creek Park Is the Launch in Town
While Woodson waits on its studies, Los Molinos has its own county launch about a mile and a half west of Highway 99E. Mill Creek Park, at 24670 Tehama Vina Road, covers 33 acres of mature shade trees on the east bank of the Sacramento. It has a public boat ramp with daily vehicle and trailer parking. In April 2025, the same day the county said Woodson would stay closed, it also said the Woodson closure would not affect the launches at Mill Creek Park and Bend Bridge, which were scheduled to be cleared. After a wet stretch, check with the county before you go to Mill Creek too.
The park works well for people who aren't fishing. The west side has the ramp, a BBQ area with a large block grill, the West Picnic area with five tables and a group grill, a play court, and an ADA restroom. The east side has the East Circle picnic area, softball fields, a playground, and three horseshoe pits, so bring your own horseshoes. Picnic tables and small grills spread around the park are first come, first served. There is no overnight parking or camping. Many people in town already know the park from summer. The Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber listed this year's Play Day in the Park there after the July 4 parade.
How the River Has Fished This Fall
The latest reports come from fishing guides, not state counts, so treat them as a snapshot. In a September 8 report, Captain Brandon Beachum described a very good bite after a recent push of fish, with salmon averaging 15 to 25 pounds. He recommended back-bouncing sardine-wrapped plugs and drifting roe. He also said the river was very clear and the fish spooked easily. His report doesn't say which stretch of river it covers. A Fly Fish Food report updated October 10 listed the Sacramento above Bend Bridge near Red Bluff at 6,640 cubic feet per second and clear. That report is about fly fishing, not salmon.
Whichever ramp you use, the water deserves respect in late fall. The Bureau of Land Management notes that the Sacramento stays cold year-round, about 45 to 50 degrees, and is "deceptively swift and powerful."
The Other Half of the Grant Announcement
CDFW's October announcement also included $704,000 to add staff for monitoring, preventing and containing invasive golden mussels. According to KRCR, the mussels were first found in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in 2024. They can attach to boats and water infrastructure and spread to new waterways. CDFW's golden mussel page says motorized boats used in freshwater need a Mussel Fee Sticker. It also asks boaters to clean, drain and dry their boat and gear before moving to another waterway. If your boat goes from the river at Mill Creek to a reservoir in spring, that last step matters.
If Mill Creek Is Busy
Tehama County runs another launch at Bend Bridge Park on Bend Ferry Road, about eight miles northeast of Red Bluff. Farther upstream, the BLM's Sacramento River Bend Area lists developed ramps at Balls Ferry, Bend Bridge Park and the Lake Red Bluff Recreation Area. It also lists primitive launches at Jelly's Ferry and Barge Hole, plus walk-in access at Perry Riffle.
Highway 99E has a few stops on the way home. The Red Bluff Daily News reported October 3 that Julia's Pumpkin Patch is open on Highway 99 in Los Molinos. Kingdom Crumb Pizza & More opened this summer at 8052 State Hwy 99E with take-and-bake pizzas, sandwiches, salads and homemade sourdough, and it can be reached at 530-267-4120.
The Woodson studies will decide what the county's southern ramp looks like for years to come. If you own riverfront or acreage along this stretch and want to know how access to the water affects what your land is worth, Monet Templeton can walk the property with you and give you a valuation that accounts for it. Book an appointment or request a home valuation.
