Iowa’s Lake Ahquabi is finally ready for kayaks and canoes after several years of restoration

Recent rains mean central Iowa lakes are filling, like Lake Ahquabi in Warren County. After three years of draining and lake restoration, Lake Ahquabi is finally open to canoes, kayaks and swimmers. This is good news for visitors like Valérie and Tim Shultz. “We just received some kayaks last year, so we’re very excited. That’s why we came to see how the lake was doing and go for a hike,” Valerie Schultz said. “We had so much rain in early spring that we were really hoping it would fill out a little bit. And it looks good. So we will come back here with our kayaks,” said Tim Schultz. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources drained the lake in 2021 to get rid of some invasive fish and do work on the spillway. Now the water is returning, with the newly stocked fish. It is too shallow for motorized fishing boats, but the lake is deep enough for kayaks and canoes. This means Jeff Holmes can open his boat rental dealership next to the beach. “It’s a great paddling destination for people who just want to get out and paddle recreationally, and the fishing will come back.” And it was pretty good before they emptied it. So it’s quite nice to go out there and the scenery is nice. Obviously it’s a beautiful place,” said Holmes, who runs Canoe Sport Outfitters. And even though it doesn’t seem like it, the beach is open. But keep in mind that this is very superficial. » Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google PlayGet the latest headlines from KCCI