Eight Great Wisconsin Family Fishing Getaways

Photo by Chester Moore Jr.

By Dan Small

My earliest memory is of fishing with Dad was when I was almost 3, and that's a lot longer ago than I care to admit. He and Mom were vacationing on a lake, and he took me along when he went out fishing for perch. I remember peering over the side of the boat and seeing a shimmering carpet of green and gold - a vast school of perch swimming over the sand bottom. He caught a mess of them using a simple cane pole. Maybe I caught some, too, but probably I just watched.

On later vacations, I vividly recall floating on inner tubes with my brothers and looking through swim masks into the depths of a small rock quarry, where we saw bass and panfish far below us. On those family camping trips we caught fish, too, but catching fish wasn't the most important thing to us. We explored the shoreline like a platoon of young raccoons, looking for frogs and plotting ways to capture the huge snapping turtles that poked their heads out of the weeds. We were kids just having fun being on and in and near the water.

Despite all the high-tech toys and the fast pace of modern life, most kids today would still get a kick out of catching a perch, floating on an inner tube or seeing a snapping turtle close up. Fortunately, Wisconsin is chock full of places families can go to enjoy these simple activities that can help foster a bond between siblings and a love for the outdoors that leads to a lifetime of recreational pursuits. Here are a few of the better ones I know of.

The last time my whole family got together for a fishing vacation was several years ago, when my son Jon graduated from Northland College in Ashland. Mom, Dad, my brothers and sister, and their families joined us at Lakewoods Resort on Namekagon Lake for a most memorable few days.

We picked Lakewoods because it is just an hour's drive from the college and because it caters to multiple interests. The ladies shopped for antiques and souvenirs in Cable and Hayward. Some of the gang went for a fishing cruise on a pontoon boat, some splashed around in paddleboats, and the rest of us fished for muskies with guide Bruce Shumway. Jon caught a legal fish on one of Bruce's Funky Chicken bucktails. Jon and I also played a round of golf on the Lakewoods course, one of the most challenging I have played in Wisconsin.

Lakewoods is one of several full-service resorts on this 3,200-acre lake, the largest in Bayfield County. Its five basins hold panfish, bass, walleyes, northerns and muskies. Crappies hang out off the mouths of bays, while bluegills and perch like the weedbeds. Live bait or plastics on slip-bobbers will take all three species and might take a bass or walleye, too. Dark bucktails over the weeds work well for the lake's pike and muskies.

An hour's drive north will take you to Lake Superior, where you can fish Chequamegon Bay for smallmouth bass, pike, walleyes and perch, or head up to Bayfield for a cruise among the Apostle Islands. To the south, you can paddle the Namekagon River, part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, or visit the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward.

Namekagon Lake is located on County Highway M, east of State Highway 63 in Cable. For information on Lakewoods Resort, call 1-800-255-5937, or check on the Web at www.lakewoods.com. For information on other area resorts and facilities, contact the Cable Area Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-533-7454 or on the Web at www.cable4fun.com.

Probably the best-known chain of lakes in Wisconsin, the Eagle River Chain offers good fishing, a variety of water-based recreational activities, easy access to town and a number of excellent restaurants. A hydro dam on the Wisconsin River a half-mile west of the city of Eagle River in Vilas County forms this chain of lakes. In a small boat, you can navigate through 11 lakes on the Eagle River Chain and the 17 lakes of the Three Lakes Chain a few miles upstream.

The lakes are relatively shallow, with some rock structure, fish cribs and miles of shoreline weedbeds, all of which provide cover for crappies, perch, walleyes, muskies and smallmouths, along with some largemouths and bluegills. Catfish and Cranberry, the two uppermost lakes on the chain, offer good walleye and perch fishing and excellent muskie action. The flats behind the big island on Cranberry hold crappies in June. Voyageur, the next lake downstream, is just a widening of the Eagle River, but it's worth fishing for muskies. Eagle, the deepest lake on the chain, is the best bet for walleyes and big muskies. Try the 10- to 15-foot breaklines along the south and west shores. Yellow Birch Lake is a sleeper for topwater muskies at night. If you get lucky, you might catch a fish worth entering in the annual Vilas County Musky Marathon, which runs all season long.

Good boat launches serve the entire chain. For bait, tackle, supplies and guide service, contact Eagle Sports, (715) 479-8804. For information on the many resorts, campgrounds, restaurants and other family vacation services, contact the Eagle River Information Bureau, 1-800-359-6315.

Somewhat quieter and not as well known, the Chetek Chain - located a half-hour north of Chippewa Falls on State Highway 53 in Barron County - offers 3,000 acres of six connected lakes, complete with beaches, 30 resorts, a golf course, unique gift shops, water-ski shows and great fishing. The city of Chetek lies on the shores of Chetek and Pokegema lakes.

Most folks come here for the bluegills, which are big and plentiful. Look for them on the beds at the north end of Prairie Lake and along the shore of Pokegema in mid-June, where you can catch them on red worms suspended beneath a slip-bobber. Moose Ear and Ten Mile lakes are good bets for largemouths and pike. Weedless lures work well for both.

One highlight of fishing here is the annual Fish-O-Rama. Hundreds of game fish and panfish are tagged and released each year. If you purchase an entry button and catch one of these fish, it could be worth up to $1,000 to you. For information on the Fish-O-Rama and for bait and tackle, stop at the Rod & Gun Sport Shop in Chetek. For lodging information, try the Chetek Area Resort Owners Association, 1-800-224-3835, or check the Web site: www.chetek.net.

Located a short drive from Green Bay and the Fox Cities, Shawano Lake is close enough for a day or weekend outing, b

ut its numerous resorts also cater to week-long vacations. Heck, stay the whole summer, if you want!

The lake is shallow and weedy, so there are a lot of panfish. Crappies spawn in shoreline bulrushes in May, while bluegills bed at the east end in June. Later in summer, you can catch both species, along with some nice perch, by fishing the deep weed edges with live bait or plastics on slip-bobbers.

The lake also harbors northerns, bass and walleyes. Kids should have no trouble catching pike on crankbaits or live minnows. For bass, try surface baits near shore and around piers. Look for walleyes in the weeds or off deep weed edges and along the south shore. Live minnows or jigs and plastics work well, as do diving crankbaits.

Good boat launches serve the lake at both ends. There's a county park and beach on the north shore and resorts all around the lake. The Navarino Nature Center, just 10 miles south of Shawano, offers interpretive programs and hiking and canoe tours of the Navarino Wildlife Area. For bargain hunters, there's a flea market at the Shawano County Fairgrounds every Sunday, with special Memorial Day and Fourth of July sales. The Shawano Speedway holds stock car races every Saturday night. For gamblers, it's a short drive to the Menominee and Mohican North Star casinos. Restaurants, golf courses and other attractions offer enough variety to keep everyone from being bored.

For fishing information, try the Riverview Bait Shop on Main Street, (715) 526-7696. For other facilities, call the Shawano Area Chamber of Commerce, 1-800-235-8528, or check out their Web site, at www.shawanocommerce.com.

The middle section of the Wolf River from New London to Winneconne is a family vacation paradise. Numerous resorts offer lodging, boat rentals and a lot of family-oriented activities. The river supports good populations of big bluegills and crappies, and the panfish are fairly easy to catch. Look for brush and downed trees anywhere along the banks, and fish right in the cover with tiny jigs tipped with plastics or live bait suspended beneath small bobbers.

You'll also find smallmouths in the deeper sections of the river wherever there are rocks, and walleyes in deep holes with a gravel or sand bottom. For these species, fish right on the bottom with a jig tipped with a plastic tail or a live minnow.

Partridge Lake, a wide spot on the river at Fremont, gets pretty weedy in summer, but it harbors bluegills, largemouths and northerns. Try red worms for the 'gills and weedless topwater lures for the bass and pike.

Boat landings are available all along the river, including several in Fremont and New London. Wolf River Sports in Winneconne offers bait, tackle, guide service and fishing information. You can reach them by phone at (920) 582-0471, or on the Web at www.wolfriversports.com. There is also a wealth of information on the Wolf River on the Internet at www.wolfrivercountry.com and at guide Joel Kunz's Web site, www.walleyeonthewolf.com.

Wisconsin's deepest lake is also one of the nicest family vacation lakes in our state. Best known for its lake trout, Big Green also harbors plenty of perch, white bass, bluegills, smallmouths and walleyes, along with some largemouths and northerns. The lake even has muskies now, so you might catch just about anything.

In summer, white bass suspend between 20 and 40 feet below the surface, while lake trout are deeper. You can troll for both with downriggers or weighted lines. Guide Mike Norton caters to groups and families, trolling for lake trout and white bass from a pontoon boat. My brothers and I surprised Dad on his 80th birthday with a Big Green Lake outing on Norton's pontoon boat. We caught both species in good numbers, and Mike even grilled some ciscoes for lunch right on the deck.

The next day, we fished for bass and walleyes and had no trouble catching a mess of those, either. We worked the rock reefs along the south shore and gravel bars across the lake, drifting in 15 to 20 feet of water with jigs tipped with leeches and minnows.

If you're after largemouths and bluegills, try Dartford Bay or inlet mouths at the east end. Some anglers fish the east end from shore. Perch action is good by using hellgrammites on Heidel Bar and other weedy shoals.

Several good public landings serve the lake, two of them in the city of Green Lake. The county-owned landing on County Highway A near Silver Creek features a public fishing pier. Green Lake has long been a popular resort area, and there are many accommodations available, along with several fine restaurants. For non-fishing activities, the area has excellent golf courses, live entertainment at the Thrasher Opera House and an old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration. For a complete services directory and map, contact the Green Lake Area Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-253-7354, or on the Web at www.greenlakecc.com. To book a fishing trip with Mike Norton, call (920) 295-3617, or e-mail nortfish@vbe.com.

The Black River flows from north of Neillsville in Clark County all the way down to the Mississippi River at La Crosse. It changes character as it heads south, morphing from boulder-strewn, brawling whitewater to a lazy meander. The lower Black River, from Lake Onalaska to its confluence with the Mississippi at La Crosse, is a scaled-down model of the Mississippi: same fish, same scenery, but a lot less water and boat traffic. Sloughs and backwaters are yours to explore, and the fishing here is excellent.

White bass, bluegills and crappies are abundant. Bass, pike and walleyes are also available. Sias Isles Campground, located just below the Onalaska Dam, is a good home base for an extended river adventure. From here, fish the Black or head downstream to the Mississippi. You can also fish from shore at the campground. The channels and backwaters of the Lauderdale Lakes development hold bass, bluegills, crappies and pike. Smallmouths and walleyes like the faster current and riprap below the Interstate 90 bridge.

Your family might also enjoy biking on the Great River Bike Trail, which runs along an abandoned railroad grade, or taking a steamboat cruise on the Mississippi. R&L Riversports operates Sias Isles Boat Livery and Campground, which has 50 sites with electricity, water, flush toilets, showers, a convenience store, a bait shop, a boat launch and gas. For information or camping reservations, call R&L Riversports, (608) 783-5623. For other area information, try the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce, (608) 784-4880, or Hidden Valleys Inc., (608) 647-2243.

Blackhawk Lake won't appear on any state maps printed before 1972. That's the year this 200-acre lake was created to provide water-based recreational op

portunities in the lake-poor Driftless Area in the southwest corner of the Badger State. The lake is surrounded by a 2,000-acre state recreation area with over 100 campsites suitable for RVs, trailers and tents, along with hiking trails, playground equipment and a picnic area.

Blackhawk Lake offers good fishing for bluegills, perch, bass and walleyes. To catch panfish, try live bait in the lake's many weedbeds or over the manmade structure provided by an old roadbed and several foundations. Deep points, dropoffs and weed edges are good spots to try for bass and walleyes. Live minnows or jigs and plastic will take both species.

Blackhawk Lake is located west of Dodgeville in Iowa County. Take County Road BH east off State Highway 80 between Highland and Cobb. Daily and season admission stickers (required to fish or camp) are available at park headquarters, (608) 623-2707. You can get bait and tackle at Palan's Outpost on Highway 80, (608) 623-2822. For a free visitor's guide to other area attractions - such as Cave of the Mounds, House on the Rock, historical sites and other state parks - call 1-800-279-9472 or e-mail SWWisc@aol.com.

There are hundreds more great Wisconsin destinations to take your family to this summer. Many of them are mentioned on the Wisconsin Department of Tourism Web site, www.travelwisconsin.com. You can also find local information by simply doing an online search for the area you are interested in visiting. A little Internet sleuthing will net you a boatload of ideas. Then pick one or two, make a reservation and go have fun!

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