After the Lagoons Drain, Woodbridge's Lakes Keep a Weekend Schedule and a January Fishing Deadline

The rock islands and water slides at North Lake Beach Club have been dry since mid-September. That's routine. The Woodbridge Village Association drains both lagoons every year from mid-September until Memorial Day weekend. The beach clubs themselves stay open year-round from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., except on maintenance days. The restrooms, sand volleyball courts and member boat docks stay in use, and boats are still for rent on certain days and hours.

From now through February, only one dock is staffed on each weekend day. This year also brings a second date to know. The WVA rewrote its fishing rules in May 2026, and every fishing permit issued before that change is valid only through January 10, 2027.

One dock on Saturday, the other on Sunday

In summer, someone with a free weekday afternoon can take a canoe out from either lake on most days. From October through February, lifeguards staff the docks at North Lake Beach Club on Saturdays only, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. South Lake Beach Club follows the same hours on Sundays only. Rentals need a lifeguard on duty. That means canoes, paddleboats, sailboats and hydro-bikes can go out from just one lake on any given weekend day.

You can't buy a pass at the water. A Woodbridge resident with a Facility Identification card has to buy it at the Community Center, which sells passes every day, Sundays included. A $15 pass covers four half-hour rides and a $40 pass covers 16. Payment is by check or credit card, and the passes never expire. The same page notes one condition for sailboats: renters must already know how to sail. The association also says lifeguard hours can change without notice. On a cold or short-staffed weekend, it's worth checking the North Lake Beach Club page or the South Lake Beach Club page before heading out.

The permit that now lasts as long as your membership

The WVA Board adopted revised fishing rules on May 6, 2026, and they took effect June 1. A May 14 notice on the association's site put it plainly: "All fishermen will need to obtain new fishing permits."

The new permit works differently from the old one. It used to be an annual permit that ran for the calendar year and was renewed by turning in the fishing booklet. Now it's a one-time permit that stays valid for the life of the membership. It's a decal attached to the resident's facility identification card. The transition rule is in the revised rules document:

Permits issued to Members/residents prior to the May 2026 amendment of these Fishing Rules shall be valid through January 10, 2027, at which time the Member/resident must submit the required application and pay the current one-time fee to obtain a new permit.

The association's fishing FAQ lists the one-time fee as $25, paid at the WVA office during business hours with a facility ID card. The adopted rules add that the Board sets the fee and may change it each year. Any resident with a valid facility ID can get a permit, including youth cardholders, as long as a custodian or guardian signs the application. Guests can fish if the permitted resident is with them or if they carry their own valid guest facility ID card.

The end date is about three months away. A permit that dates from before the rewrite is still valid this fall, through January 10, 2027.

Where the line can go in

The FAQ describes fishing as allowed from the North Lake and South Lake shores and from the islands. The adopted rules list the places where it isn't allowed:

• Bridges and gazebos
• Docks and beaches
• The North Lake shoreline right next to the children's playground
• Anywhere inside either beach club or lagoon
• WVA rental boats

The fishing rules also say no one may enter the lakes. With the docks and rental boats both closed to fishing, anglers fish from the banks and the islands. On a fall Saturday, the North Lake canoes go out from a dock where fishing isn't allowed.

The time rules matter more as the days get shorter. Fishing is allowed daily from dawn until 10:00 p.m., but the islands close to fishing at dusk. In October, an evening on the water means fishing from the shore once the light goes.

What can be kept, and what goes back

The rules explain why Woodbridge fishing has its own permit system in the first place. The lakes are privately owned and are stocked and run under a domesticated fish breeder's license. One stocked species is there to work, not to be caught. Grass Carp were added to eat aquatic weeds, under a special permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Each one carries a numbered tag. If you catch one, you record the tag number in the Fishing Regulations and Log Booklet and return the fish to the lake. The rules list the penalty for illegally possessing or transporting Grass Carp as a fine of up to $5,000, up to a year in county jail, or both.

Every other fish goes straight back in, except Bluegill and Red Ear Sunfish. The rules currently set no number limit on those two, and the association can change limits. The WVA also discourages eating anything caught in the lakes, because the fish may be contaminated. Cleaning fish is banned anywhere on association property.

The equipment rules are short:

1. One pole per person, with no more than two hooks per line. Stay with the rod. No unattended or tied-off lines, no unattached throw lines, and no fly-fishing.
2. Allowed bait includes terrestrial insects, worms, prepared stink bait, cheese bait, marshmallows and hot dogs. Not allowed: animal parts or meat, dog food, fish of any kind including goldfish, crayfish, salamanders, newts, peas and corn. Chumming is banned too.
3. A hand-held landing net is allowed, but only to land a fish already on the hook. Cast and throw nets, traps, spears and similar gear are all banned.

The FAQ has one inconsistency. It says fishing from registered, approved resident-owned boats is allowed, but the adopted rules bar entering the lakes and don't carve out any boat exception. Until the association updates the FAQ, the adopted rules are the clearer guide.

The rest of the fall calendar around the water

Two other dates this season sit close to the lakes. West Yale Loop and East Yale Loop fall within the scope of a City of Irvine study called the Yale Avenue Enhancement Project, which covers Yale Avenue from the I-405 to Portola Parkway. According to the WVA's September 4 notice, the study will weigh options such as protected or separated bikeways, pedestrian crossings, traffic control devices and protected intersections. The in-person workshops at Heritage Park and Northwood community centers were held in September. An online workshop is scheduled for October 14 at 5:00 p.m. Nothing is under construction yet. The city's project fact sheet lists community input this fall, selection of a preferred design starting in winter 2026/2027, final engineering beginning in fall 2027, and construction beginning in winter 2029.

Closer to Halloween, Woodbridge Village Center at 4500 to 4820 Barranca Parkway hosts an Irvine Company Makers Market on October 24 and 25, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The organizer's listing mentions more than 30 local makers, live music, a kids' craft station, a welcome for pets, and a costume contest at 1:00 p.m. Saturday the 24th is also a North Lake dock day, and Sunday the 25th is a South Lake dock day, so either day can include a boat ride.

If you're looking for swimming now that the lagoons are dry, the association's aquatic facility sheet lists Blue Lake Swim Club as open year-round.

At Jacqueline Thompson Group, we track the association rules and amenity schedules that come with Irvine's planned villages, because they shape everyday life in a home as much as the floor plan does. If you're weighing a move within Woodbridge or anywhere across Coastal Orange County, request a confidential market valuation or private consultation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.