Fishing in northwest Wisconsin

Boating channel between Cranberry Lake and Minong Flowage- NW Wisconsin’s most popular recreation and fishing lakes

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Boating channel between Cranberry Lake and Minong Flowage – NW Wisconsin’s most popular recreation and fishing lakes

The Minong Flowage is a 1,564-acre impoundment of the Totagatic River created by a dam completed in 1937.  Most of its bottom is sand; its maximum and mean depths are 21’ and 9’.  Although much of the Flowage is deep, open water, some of its shallow bays contain tree stumps and aquatic vegetation.  The fishery consists mainly of walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, and yellow perch.  The Flowage is also popular for boating, waterskiing, and paddling.

Cranberry Lake is a 172-acre lake with 2.76 miles of shoreline. It has a maximum depth of 19 feet and a mean depth of 11 feet. Its littoral bottom is 95% sand and 5% muck. According to the DNR, you’ll find numerous northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, and panfish. Cranberry Lake is connected to the Minong Flowage by the Cranberry Narrows, a stretch of water that’s passable by small and medium-sized boats. The bridge at Highway T has enough clearance for fishing boats and most pontoons. Once you’re under the bridge, you’ll find yourself in the Minong Flowage.

On the other hand, you can also go for a boat ride, dock at restaurant, and then after dinner motor home as the moon rises over the Minong Flowage.  Here, you really can have the best of both worlds.

Check out two Minong Flowage lakeshore lots just listed – N14398 Island View Rd and N14394 Island View Rd.

Homes and cabins available on the Minong Flowage/Cranberry Lake.

 

Spring has arrived on Lake Nebagamon. Time to hit the deck!

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Spring has arrived on Lake Nebagamon. Time to hit the deck!

Spring is here, and it’s time to hit the deck and relax by the lake. Here’s another in a continuing series of “hit the deck” posts—this time from a cabin I’m currently listing on Lake Nebagamon.

To learn more about this cabin, please visit my Edina Realty website.

11479 E Wangerin Rd, Lake Nebagamon, WI

11479 E Wangerin Rd, Lake Nebagamon, WI

Beautiful Lake Nebagamon

Beautiful Lake Nebagamon

 

A Closer Look at Cranberry Lake

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A Closer Look at Cranberry Lake
To follow up on my previous post, here’s a bit more info on Cranberry Lake. This 172-acre lake is connected by a navigable channel to the much larger Minong Flowage, and elsewhere on my website I’ve described the Minong Flowage and Cranberry Lake together as one body of water.


Most fishing boats and runabouts can easily make it under the bridge at County Road T. This means that, depending on your boat, owning a lake home or cabin on Cranberry Lake could also give you easy access to the 1,564 acre Minong Flowage.
Cranberry Lake itself has a shoreline of 2.76 miles, a maximum depth of 19’ and a mean depth of 11’. It’s a clear-water lake with a bottom that’s 95% sand. According to the DNR, it’s home to northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappies, and bluegills.

More Scenes from the Brule River

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More Scenes from the Brule

To follow up on my previous post, here are a few more springtime scenes from the Brule river. Enjoy! And if you’d like to live just a few blocks from the river, right in the small town of Brule, Wisconsin, then check out this two-bedroom home on Spruce Avenue, Brule, WI.

BR 32 map brule at hwy 2 OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

On the Gordon St Croix Flowage, can I circumnavigate Bubar Island?

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On the Gordon St Croix Flowage, can I circumnavigate Bubar Island?

Bubar Island - St Croix Flowage

Bubar Island – St Croix Flowage

This post is in honor of this cabin I recently listed on the north shore of the St Croix Flowage, also known as the Gordon Flowage. At 1,913 acres, and with 29 miles of meandering shoreline, the Gordon Flowage is one of the largest, least developed lakes anywhere in northwestern Wisconsin. The Flowage is located near near Gordon, Wascott, and Solon Springs, and it’s just west of U.S. Highway 53.

Along the southern shore of the Flowage, detailed maps show an area called Bubar Island. It’s directly south of the boat landing that’s on the north shore. In my last post I answered the question: “On the Gordon Flowage, can I actually go all the way around Wilcox Island?” The short answer: “Maybe, sometimes. Bring a canoe or kayak, preferably a narrow one.” But in case you’re wondering the same thing about Bubar Island, the short and simple answer is… No.

Bubar Island is only an island in the sense that it’s separated from the mainland by a large wetland area. Even if you’re paddling a very narrow canoe or kayak that only draws two inches of water, the answer is still no. Sorry.

But here’s the good news, and it’s something you can see for yourself if you look closely at the aerial up above. You can see a few houses along County Road Y, and that’s about it. The segment of the Gordon-Saint Croix Flowage you see here is fairly typical. Much of the lake’s shoreline is county land that’s been granted special protective status. For that reason, and because of terrain like that surrounding Bubar “Island,” very little of this lake’s shoreline has been developed—or ever will be.

Gordon St Croix Flowage

Gordon St Croix Flowage

St Croix Flowage, Gordon, WI

St Croix Flowage, Gordon, WI

St Croix Flowage

St Croix Flowage

St Croix Flowage boat landing

St Croix Flowage boat landing

Encore Post: The Fish Story of Gordon-St Croix Flowage — Gordon, Wisconsin

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Encore Post: The Fish Story of Gordon-St Croix Flowage — Gordon, Wisconsin

This encore post is in honor of this cabin I’ve just listed on the north shore of the St Croix Flowage, also known as the Gordon Flowage. At 1,913 acres, and with 29 miles of meandering shoreline, the Gordon Flowage is one of the largest, least developed lakes anywhere in northwestern Wisconsin. The Flowage is located near near Gordon, Wascott, and Solon Springs, and is just west of U.S. Highway 53. For your enjoyment, I’ve ended this post with some fresh photos taken at various points around the lake.

Here’s the fish story:

Mainly Panfish, Northerns, and Bass
You’re most likely to catch sunfish, crappies, northern pike, and largemouth bass. The Flowage also contains smaller numbers of muskies, smallmouth bass, bullheads, carp, and dogfish.

Stocking History
From 1937 to 1963, the Flowage was stocked regularly with a variety of species—everything from catfish to walleyes. No stocking occurred from 1963 to 2000. Since then, the Flowage has been stocked roughly every other year with both sturgeon and muskies. Despite these various stocking efforts, the Flowage has proven most suited for panfish, northern pike, and largemouth bass.

Preserve the Resource
On days when the fishing is almost too good, please use restraint. Here on the Flowage, the DNR especially encourages voluntary catch-and-release of bluegills and crappies. And, while you may encounter some large largemouths in the Flowage, at this latitude they take many years to reach that size. Please preserve the resource.

Preserve Your Lower Unit
Here on the Flowage, you’ll encounter a few stumps, plus plenty of shallow, rocky reefs. That sort of structure makes for great fishing. It can, however, be rough on boat motors.
In the interest of boating safety, our lake association has marked many of these hazards—but not all. If you’re unfamiliar with the Flowage, you may want to keep your speed down, carry a few extra shear pins, and keep an eye out for obstacles.

St Croix Flowage

St Croix Flowage

St Croix Flowage boat landing

St Croix Flowage boat landing

The St Croix Flowage in Gordon, Wisconsin

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The St Croix Flowage in Gordon, Wisconsin

This post is in honor of this cabin I’ve just listed on the north shore of the Saint Croix Flowage, also known as the Gordon Flowage. At 1,913 acres, and with 29 miles of meandering shoreline, the Gordon Flowage is one of the largest, least developed lakes anywhere in northwestern Wisconsin. The Flowage is located near near Gordon, Wascott, and Solon Springs, and is just west of U.S. Highway 53. For your enjoyment, I’ve ended this post with some fresh photos taken at various points around the lake.

The Flowage has a maximum depth of 28 feet and a mean depth of 7 feet; much of it is relatively shallow.  Its water, however, is quite clear.  Secchi disk readings are generally around 8 feet.

The Flowage is a popular, year-round destination for anglers.  You’re most likely to catch sunfish, crappies, northern pike, and largemouth bass.  The Flowage also contains smaller numbers of muskies and smallmouth bass.

Most of the Flowage is relatively wild and undeveloped; if you’re stealthy enough, you’ll see abundant birds and wildlife.

Just minutes away, you’ll find dozens more rivers and lakes.  You’ll also be close to trails and abundant public land.  Just off US 53; 40 minutes from Superior or Spooner.

There aren’t a lot of sandy beaches on the Flowage, and it’s not great for waterskiing, jet skis, or high-speed boating.  It’s fine, though, for pontoons, fishing boats, and canoes or kayaks.  If you prefer eagles, loons, and otters to PWCs and water skis, then this is the lake for you.

St Croix Flowage

St Croix Flowage

St Croix Flowage, Gordon, WI

St Croix Flowage, Gordon, WI

St Croix Flowage

St Croix Flowage

St Croix Flowage boat landing

St Croix Flowage boat landing

Lake cabins and homes available on the St Croix Flowage.