FISH! WHAT KIND ... AND WHERE ARE THEY?

Washburn County has within its boundaries more than 900 lakes, approximately half of which are home to game fish and panfish populations, plus nearly 100 miles of trout streams.

Largemouth bass are the most widespread game fish species in the county. It occurs in more than 300 lakes and in four streams, the Namekagon River, Yellow River, Rocky Ridge Creek, and Totagatic River, mostly below the Minong Flowage dam. Northern pike ranks second in game fish abundance, with 145 lakes containing fishable populations. Its abundance and growth rate vary considerably from one lake to another. The more im-portant streams in which northern pike occur in fishable populations are the Yellow, Namekagon, and Totagatic rivers and Rocky Ridge Creek.

Smallmouth bass are found in 27 lakes and four streams. Good fishing for this species is provided by Shell, Trego, and Little Stone lakes, and the Namekagon River, Totagatic River below the Minong Flowage dam, and Birch Creek. Walleyes occur in approximately 60 lakes. The more prominent walleye waters are Shell, Long, Bass (Patterson), Nancy, Slim, Balsam, and Birch lakes and the Minong Flowage. Two rivers have fishable walleye populations, the Namekagon and Yellow.

Musky are found in several lakes and two streams. Shell Lake is the most important musky fishing water in the county. The Trego Flowage, Yellow River, and Namekagon River below the Trego Dam host musky in fewer numbers. Panfish, principally the bluegill, black crappie, pumpkinseed, perch, and bullhead, occur in nearly 200 lakes in the county. The lake acreage having panfish includes 88 percent of the county's total lake area. Lakes and impoundments with hard and medium-hard water and some of the lakes that suffer winter kill are considered the best panfishing waters. Lake sturgeon and channel catfish occur only in the Namekagon River below the Trego dam, although prior to the dam's presence their range extended upstream through Sawyer County. Sturgeon is present in low numbers and is apparently stable in population size.

Carp occur in the Casey Creek drainage system, particularly in Dunn Lake, Stone Lake, and in the Namekagon River below the Trego dam.

More than 540 lakes have either only minnows or no fish species at all due to winter-kill conditions.

Brook trout and brown trout inhabit more than 30 steams.
Brooks are most abundant in the colder headwater areas and smaller streams.
Browns are found in the warmer, lower reaches of the large trout streams.