Lake W.R. Holway was created in 1968. It is located in the hills of northeastern Oklahoma, attached to Lake Hudson via the Saline Creek arm of the lake. Resting on a bed of rocks carved from the hills, the waters of the reservoir are clear and pristine.

In 1981, the reservoir was named to honor the late W.R. Holway, Grand River Dam Authority’s longtime consulting engineer. Prior to that, the reservoir was known as Chimney Rock Reservoir, after the valley in which its 200-foot tall earth and rock dam was built.

The lake has 785 acres of pristine water, some of which reach 200 feet deep. The lake is secluded, and it is possible to enjoy a day’s fishing without seeing another human.

W.R. Holway was first stocked with smallmouth bass in 1991 by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The 750-acre reservoir is deep, clear and rocky – all of the prerequisites needed for a great smallmouth fishery.