Fayette County Lake

As we approach a new year, we pause to take a look back at some of the top stories from the first six months of 2019. January: The body of Ashley Tenniel Watkins, 31, was discovered in Tuscaloosa County on Jan. 2. The woman had been reported missing on Dec. 8, 2018 while visiting a friend in Fayette County. Retiring Fayette County Probate Judge William Oswalt and retiring Fayette County District Judge Jerry Clary were each honored with separate receptions. Each of the men served 30 years in their respective offices.

After being closed for the past four years, the Fayette County Public Lake had a successful reopening on Thursday, March 28, much to the delight of numerous anglers in the area.
The 60-acre lake had been restocked with bluegill, shellcracker, bass and catfish, and the fish were eagerly awaiting the hooks and baits being thrown into the water by the patrons who had waited so long for the lake’s reopening.

The highly-anticipated reopening of the Fayette County Public Lake will occur at sunrise on Thursday, March 28. The 60-acre lake closed on April 2, 2015, and has remained closed for almost four years. Matthew Marshall, state lake coordinator for the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, said that prior to the closure of the lake, “The fishing was poor and the catch rate was low. Something had to be done.”