About Washburn County, WI

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Lake homes and cabins for sale on the Minong Flowage, NW WI.

Visit my website www.JeanHedren.com to search by communities and many lakes in NW Wisconsin. Communities include Gordon, Wascott, Solon Springs, Barnes, Minong. Lakes include St Croix Lake, St Croix Flowage, Minong Flowage, Leader Lake, Whitefish Lake, Eau Claire 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.

About Cranberry Lake: 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.

View Minong Flowage in a larger map>Minong Flowagein a larger map

Some parts of the Minong Flowage see a fair amount of boat traffic. Other areas are much quieter; on a typical day, you might only see a few fishing boats go by. Although a fair number of homes have been built on the Flowage, it still has an up-north feel. You’ll often see loons, eagles, and other wildlife.

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.

Visit www.JeanHedren.com for listings available on the Minong Flowage.

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.

Some parts of the Minong Flowage see a fair amount of boat traffic.  Other areas are much quieter; on a typical day, you might only see a few fishing boats go by.  Although a fair number of homes have been built on the Flowage, it still has an up-north feel.  You’ll often see loons, eagles, and other wildlife. 

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.

Lake homes and cabins on the Minong Flowage, visit www.JeanHedren.com Edina Realty, Minong WI.

The Shell Lake fish story, Shell Lake, Wisconsin Shell Lake, best known as a good walleye lake, is 2580 acres with 10.2 miles of shoreline. The maximum depth is 36'; mean depth 23'. Secchi disk clarity 12'. Walleye, SM bass are plentiful. You'll also find muskie, northern, and bluegill. This big lake consists of two basins, the bigger one on the north has little structure other than cribs and some fairly sharp drop-offs around the shoreline. the smaller one on the south end as an island and Rolf's Point, jutting out from the eastern shoreline. Walleyes are best found on the east side of Scout Island, Rolf's Point, and in the Spring on the south end of the lake. Shell Lake has several boat access sites; one is right in the city of Shell Lake on the lake's west shore with concrete ramp, toilets, fish-cleaning house, and parking for 30 rigs.
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Northern Wisconsin Lakes Directory.

20 tips for buying a lake home in NW Wisconsin: #13 Critical Habitat Designations - Local Examples From the Minong Flowage

Finally, to wrap up the series on critical habitat designations, here are some local examples proposed for the Minong Flowage. To learn more about critical habitat designations in general, you can visit http://dnr.wi.gov/lakes/criticalhabitat/.

You can also download a detailed CHD report on the Minong Flowage from http://dnr.wi.gov/lakes/criticalhabitat/Project.aspx?project=25645563. In the report, you’ll find the aerial photos, detailed descriptions, and inventories of the aquatic vegetation found in each designated critical habitat area. There are 23 of these areas proposed for the Minong Flowage. Here’s a quick overview of three that are all in the same general area:

· Critical Habitat site MF2 is designated a Sensitive Area because of its Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Important to Fish and Wildlife Habitat, and Woody Habitat. It is 0.7 acres in size and is located in a little bay on the west side of the flowage along County Highway I. Although there are homes nearby, none are within the area’s riparian or setback areas.

· Critical Habitat site MF3 is designated a Sensitive Area because of its Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Important to Fish and Wildlife Habitat, Woody Habitat, Natural Scenic Beauty, and Extensive Public Use. It’s 2.3 acres in size and is located around the island North of Sand Island. It’s owned by Douglas County and thus already preserved.

· Critical Habitat site MF10 is designated a Sensitive Area because of its Woody Habitat, Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Important to Fish and Wildlife Habitat, Wild Rice Beds, and Emergent and Floating Leaf Vegetation. It’s 266.4 acres in size and encompasses Stump Bay.

The last example is a shallow bay with great fishing. It’s a relatively quiet part of the lake with plenty of opportunity for watching birds and wildlife. As is usually the case, its critical habitat designation reflects the reality of what’s already there and already obvious to the untrained observer. Even on a lake map, the name of this bay gives you an idea of what to expect.

If I’m working with buyers who dream of waterskiing right off the dock at their new lake home, I might show them a home out on the main part of the lake. Stump Bay, as its name suggests, might not be the perfect spot for them.

But if they’re willing to motor out into the main part of the lake before they begin skiing, who knows? The trade-off is that when these buyers have finished their day of boating or waterskiing, and when they’re ready to relax on the deck with a glass of wine, they’ll find themselves on a quieter part of the lake where they can hear loons calling and watch eagles soar.

Other buyers, of course, might not be into waterskiing. Instead, they enjoy fishing, paddling, or wildlife watching. If they own a motorboat at all, it’s a pontoon or a fishing boat. For them, peace and quiet are more important than sandy beaches and waterskiing off the dock. Their dream is to get away from it all and escape to solitude of the north woods. These buyers would actually prefer a place like Stump Bay.

I’ve worked with both types of buyers, and with everyone in between. Your dream home might not be my dream home. That’s why I’ll ask questions, listen carefully to your answers, and then help you find the cabin, home, or land that’s right for you.