Good news for anglers in Fairfield and the surrounding area — Walton Lake is full again after a lengthy construction project that began last fall.
The city started draining the lake in late September 2025 to replace a golf cart bridge at the Walton Club that had failed a structural inspection. The city drew the lake down 11.5 feet and replaced the old bridge with a box culvert — essentially an earthen dam with an opening that allows water and aquatic life to pass through. Delays pushed the project into winter, and it wasn’t until a warmer-than-usual January that crews were able to get into the mostly drained lake to finish the work. A rainy spring has since refilled the lake, and the project is nearly complete.
Walton Lake has historically been popular for largemouth bass, channel catfish, and bluegill — and those are exactly the species the Iowa Department of Natural Resources plans to restock in 2027. This December, the DNR will formally request fish from Iowa’s network of state fish hatcheries, where species are raised before being released into lakes across the state.
A new boat ramp has also been installed at the lake, which the DNR plans to utilize to survey fish populations going forward.
