The Flowage, Wisconsin Largest Wilderness Lake

In 1924, the Wisconsin/Minnesota Power and Light Company completed the dam across the Chippewa River, backing up the waters of 11 natural lakes, nine natural rivers and countless streams and ponds to form the Chippewa Flowage. With more than 17,000 acres of water, 140 islands and over 200 miles of undeveloped shoreline, the Flowage offers a world of opportunity right in the heart of the northwoods.

Many bays and small islands dot this fantastic water world, making the Flowage a boater's paradise. The lake is teeming with fish: muskie, walleye, crappie, northern pike, bass, bluegill and perch are waiting to challenge even the most ardent angler. Enter into the acres of Flowage waters and discover the wilderness or experience the solitude of the hidden bays and islands the Big Chip has to offer.

Lake Chippewa Flowage, only minutes east of Hayward, to a vacationland paradise.

Fish Common to Lake Chippewa Flowage

Muskellunge

Color is dark gray; sides having broken and unbroken stripes on a silvery background; the head is larger than that of the northern pike and both the cheek and opercle are scaled above but unscaled on the lower halves.

Tiger Musky

The hybrid or "tiger" musky is a cross between a female muskellunge and a northern pike. Most fishermen can recognize a hybrid musky by its dark irregular bars and spots on a light background, profusely marked cheeks, and by a rounded tail. The true musky always has a pointed tail. The hybrid seems to take the better qualities from each parent, has oversized tail fins which might account for its strong ability to fight and defy landing.

Northern Pike

This is an elongated slender fish with color of bluish and greenish gray with more or less purplish luster on the back and sides. Yellowish below and white on belly. Sides with irregular rows of small round yellowish and gold spots. The top of the head is dark olive green; mouth slender and large. One of most consistent marks for identification of this species is that the entire cheek is scaled white only the upper half of the opercle is scaled and the lower part is bare.

Bluegill

Length sometimes reaches ten to twelve inches but they are a comparatively short and compressed fish. The nose is upturned in appearance; the color light to dark olive with luster of purple to lavender; belly yellow or rich yellowish brown. Head short; mouth small and oblique; the opercular flap is very broad and of a rich velvety black color; side with three or four broad dark greenish bars; fins are all greenish.

Smallmouth Bass

The general color of a smallmouth bass is dark golden green with a brownish luster which may be blotched with darker spots along the sides. The mouth is large but the corner of it does not extend past the eye.

Largemouth Bass

General color is dark green above, sides and below greenish silver; belly is white. The head is large and the mouth very wide, the corner of which extends beyond the eye.

Walleye

The walleye is a slender fish moderately compressed. Generally the color is brassy yellow and gold shading to olive and or yellow mottled with brass. The belly and sides are white tinged with green; head is slender and tapered; lower jaw slightly shorter than the upper. It has two separate distinct dorsal fins and the mouth is well supplied with strong teeth. The flesh is white firm and delicately flavored.

Perch

Although a small fish, it reaches a length of twelve inches. The body is slim and considerably compressed; the sides and back greenish gray to golden yellow with seven broad bars of a dusky color extending from the back to below the middle of the sides. The belly is sometimes yellowish.

White and Black Crappie

There are two species of crappies in Wisconsin known as the common or white crappie and the black crappie or calico bass. The chief difference between the black and white is that the white has six spines in the dorsal fin and a plain anal fin while the black has seven spines in the dorsal and a strongly reticulated anal fin. Outside of these exceptions the two crappies are almost identical in appearance.