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Volga Lake

General Information

County: Fayette
Location: Located 3 miles north of Fayette.
Acres: 135.00
Maximum Depth: 23 ft. (2013)
Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at No Wake

Nearby Parks

Volga River State Recreation Area

Amenities

Amenities at Volga Lake include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Accessible Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Accessible Shoreline

Area rivers and streams remain steady to low for this time of year. Weekend temperatures 50's to 30's at night. For more information, please call the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.
Water clarity good.
Black Crappie - Fair: Use live baits with a slow retrieve for best luck.
Bluegill - Fair: Find gills off jetties or along rocky shoreline in morning moving deeper in evening. Try tube jigs tipped with artificial attractants or small piece of worm under a bobber.
Largemouth Bass - Slow: Fish drop-offs and around brush piles with a crankbait toward evening.
This weeks rain did little to raise or muddy area rivers and streams but dampened angling efforts. Windy through weekend with temperatures 40's to 20's at night. For more information, please call the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.
Black Crappie - Fair: Use live baits with a slow retrieve for best luck.
Bluegill - Fair: Find gills off jetties or along rocky shoreline in morning moving deeper in evening. Try tube jigs tipped with artificial attractants or small piece of worm under a bobber.
Largemouth Bass - Slow: Fish drop-offs and around brush piles with a crankbait toward evening.
Water clarity good. Few anglers fishing with dropping temperatures and rainy weather.

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map
Download Printable Fishing Structures Map

You can zoom in on the map for bathymetric information for some lakes

  • 09/21/2021 - 1,915 Channel Catfish (9.2)
  • 09/19/2019 - 2,430 Channel Catfish (8.8)
  • 9/7/2017 - 2,433 Channel Catfish (7.6")
  • 09/29/2015 - 2,429 Channel Catfish (8")

  • Brittle Naiad
  • Curlyleaf Pondweed

The Fishing Regulations brochure is available for download. The summaries listed below are a partial listing provided for your benefit.

  • Black Crappie
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black and white crappie, 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: No daily limit on private waters
  • Bluegill
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: No daily limit on private waters
  • Channel Catfish
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 8 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 30 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Common Carp
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: May be taken by hand fishing, by snagging, by spear or by bow and arrow, day or night.
  • Green Sunfish
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Largemouth Bass
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 3 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined black bass, 6 fish
    • Length Limit: 15-inch minimum
    • Other:
  • White Sucker
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: May be taken by hand fishing, by snagging, by spear or by bow and arrow, day or night.
  • Yellow Perch
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: 50 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:

Over the last several years, volunteers and park and fisheries staff have installed cedar tree clusters and rock piles to provide more habitat diversity and cover to enhance fish populations. Volga Lake is the place to go for trophy channel catfish with fish up to 31 inches. Black Crappie numbers in the 8 inch range remain high but a few 10 inchers are out there. Bluegill 7 inches are common. A nice population of Largemouth Bass are available.(2022)

Tip: Click the arrow in the lower right corner to view the Fish Survey Data tool in full-screen mode.

Contacts

Iowa-Caught Fish Are Safe to Eat, In Almost All Cases

The vast majority of Iowa’s streams, rivers and lakes offer safe and high-quality fish that pose little or no threat to human health if consumed. Some limitations may apply for young children and pregnant women. Here’s a Fish Consumption Fact Sheet from the Iowa DNR and the Iowa Dept. of Public Health for more information.