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The Wisconsin River History

The Wisconsin River is the hardest working river in the nation. Its headwaters are on the Wisconsin/Michigan border at Lac Vieux Desert and after a 500-mile journey through the state, it empties into the Mississippi River at Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin.

During the Ice Age, the mighty river carved gorges and formed rapids and waterfalls as the river dropped 1,000 feet from the headwaters to its mouth. Today there are 25 hydroelectric dams on the river, which generate electricity and provide flood control. Also, there are 21 reservoirs (flowages) on the river, which help control water levels for paper mills.

The history of the Stevens Point area is deeply rooted in the lumbering industry, which relied on the Wisconsin River for transportation and energy. Since the pioneer days of the 1840's, when Stevens Point became established, the area was known as the "Gateway to the Pineries".

Today the river is still an integral part of the logging industry with its many paper mills but it also provides many recreational opportunities such as excellent fishing.

For many years the river had a bad reputation for being polluted from chemicals dumped into the river from the many paper mills lining its banks. The fish from the river tasted bad and not many anglers claimed the Wisconsin River as their favorite fishing spot.

Thanks to the Clean Water Act of 1972, the water quality of the Wisconsin River has improved dramatically and today the river supports an impressive fishery along with abundant wildlife.

The improved water quality resulting from the Clean Water Act was no doubt responsible for the recovery of the smallmouth bass population, which started to show a noticeable upswing in the mid-1980's.

Population levels for channel catfish, which biologist's say are indicators of good water quality, have been increasing steadily since the late-1980's. Catfish were native to the Wisconsin River but pollution from many sources caused their population levels to diminish. Channel cats were stocked by the DNR, above Wausau, in 1979. Obviously, the catfish have reproduced and moved down through the system.

The Wisconsin River flowages in central Wisconsin continue to produce good-sized crappies. As a matter of fact, these flowages provide some of the best opportunities in the state of Wisconsin for catching 15-inch crappies!

Even though muskies were native to the Wisconsin River in the Stevens Point area, they were practically non-existent until 1978. The 12 Apostles Musky Club, Inc. of Stevens Point was instrumental in reestablishing the musky population when they started stocking the Stevens Point Flowage in 1978. Today, these central Wisconsin River flowages have produced muskies of world-class size.

WISCONSIN RIVER SECRETS

Secret #1

Moon phases have a positive influence on river muskies. My 20-year-old fishing logs indicate that 80% of my river muskies were caught on moon phase days. Of course, local weather conditions have the strongest influence on fishing success.

Secret #2

Wisconsin River fish habitat may be manmade. I discovered this sunken truck at the bottom of the Biron Flowage in the fall of 1999. The local paper company had lowered the water level a few feet in order to repair a dam. Police records indicated that the truck had been stolen in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, two years prior!

Secret #3

Wood such as sunken brush, stumps, and fallen shoreline trees, provide prime habitat for fish on the Wisconsin River. Because of the dark water, there is minimal aquatic vegetation in the central Wisconsin River flowages. The small amounts of milfoil, pondweed, and lily pads that do exist, do not serve as primary habitat for large game fish.

Island water level at draw down

Island at normal water level


Secret #4

River islands provide food shelves for muskies. Both the upstream and downstream island points provide ambush spots for muskies. As indicated in the photos, islands also provide underwater food shelves covered with rocks and sunken wood. An island also provides shoreline cover and sometimes eddies.

Secret #5

Stump fields serve as food shelves for flowage fish. I found this 24-inch walleye floating in a Stevens Point Flowage stump field. It was obvious that the walleye had choked on a 10-inch crappie (note tail sticking out of mouth). The big 'eye also had a seven inch perch in its belly. This voracious walleye was definitely pigging-out in the stumps!

During high water conditions in spring or fall, all fish move out of the strong river current to shoreline cover and backwater areas.

Sunken shoreline wood can create small eddies in the river current which attracts baitfish along with smallmouth bass, walleyes, and muskies.

Secret #8

Overhanging trees shade the water and provide an edge for fish to relate to. But, watch out for that wasp nest hanging from the branches!

Secret #9

Remnants of the old logging days still litter the bottom of the Wisconsin River. Of course, today these antiquated wood and rock structures serve as fish habitat.

Secret # 10

Some parts of the Wisconsin River, in the Stevens Point area, resemble a Canadian Shield lake with granite outcroppings and pine-studded shorelines. The chunk-rock river bottom provides excellent habitat for smallmouth bass. This photo was taken of a secondary river channel during an early summer draw down for dam repair.