The Wisconsin River of Central Wiscsonsin

The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Wisconsin in the United States. At approximately 430 mi (692 km) long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Meskousing", is rooted in the Algonquian languages used by the area's American Indian tribes, but its original meaning is obscure. French explorers who followed in the wake of Marquette later modified the name to "Ouisconsin". This was simplified to "Wisconsin" in the early 19th Century before being applied to Wisconsin Territory and finally the state of Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin River originates in the forests of the Lake District of northern Wisconsin, in Lac Vieux Desert near the border of the upper peninsula of Michigan. It flows south across the glacial plain of central Wisconsin, passing Wausau and Stevens Point. In southern Wisconsin it encounters the terminal moraine formed during the last ice age, where it forms the spectacular Dells of the Wisconsin River. North of Madison, at Portage, the river turns to the west, flowing through Wisconsin's hilly Western Upland and joining the Mississippi approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) south of Prairie du Chien. Although the river was originally navigable up to the city of Portage, 200 mi (320 km) from its mouth, it is now considered non-navigable beyond the lock and dam at Prairie du Sac.

LOWER WISCONSIN STATE RIVERWAY

The Lower Wisconsin River State Riverway is a state funded project designed to protect the southern portion of the Wisconsin River from Sauk City, Wisconsin about 93 miles all the way to the point where the Wisconsin River joins up with and empties into the Mississippi, about 10 miles south of the town of Prairie du Chien. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources manages protected lands of over 75,000 acres, including the river itself, islands, and some lands adjacent to the river.

There are no dams or man made obstructions to the natural flow of water from the hydroelectric dam just north of Sauk City all the way to where the Wisconsin River joins the Mississippi. This long stretch of free flowing river provides important natural habitats for a variety of wildlife including white tail deer, otter, beaver, turtles, sand hill cranes, eagles, hawks, and a variety of fish species.

There are many different recreation opportunities on the lower Wisconsin River from fishing and canoeing, to tubing and camping. Some of the towns along the river that provide access to the river, in addition to the above mentioned include Arena, Spring Green, Lone Rock, Boscobel, Muscoda, and Blue River.

Lower WI Riverway Angling Opportunities The Lower WI State Riverway passes through many towns on it's approximate 95 mile long journey, unobstructed. It has a series of sloughs, backwaters, multiple winding channels seperated by very large islands and many breaks and holes to be discovered. Due to the WI River's vastly alternating layout with it's sandy flats, rocky banks and sharp turns it is a river that provides many opportuninities for angling and also time to learn. There are many many shore fishing opportuninities for those without boats. In one season, even as a hobby fisherman, you could land nearly every notable fish specieis you would like and you might even be lucky enough to land respectable specimen sizes of those individual species.

Nearly every specieis of fish can be caught in the WI River: Bullheads, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, White Bass, Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass, Muskie, Northern Pike, Gar, Buffalo, Carp, Suckers, Redhorse, Lake and Shovelnose Sturgeon, Freshwater Drum, Mooneye, Walleye, and Bowfin. Baitfish and Panfish of all types can be caught from the main river or the attached sloughs as well: Perch, Sunfish, Northern Rock Bass, Shiners, Minnows, Shad and Madtoms. Rare fish species such as the Black Buffalo and Western Sand Darter can be observed or angled on the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway as well.

Notable fishing locations(commonly associated with bank opportunities in or around towns) include Lone Rock with it's access to the main channel, slower channels still part of the WI River as well as a series of 4 or so varying sloughs and slough-like locations. Towns with excellent bank fishing opportunities to the main river include Gotham with it's rocky shelf and ~15 foot hole at the Pine River drainage, Blue River with many bank and sandbar fishing opportunities as well as Boscobel with many more bank and sandbar fishing opportunities.

One of the most popular stretches of the WI, and the stretch that varies the most both with deep holes and shallower channel runs, happens to be the approximate 3 miles after the Sauk-Prarie(Sauk City/Prarie du Sac) dam's spillway.  Here people can stock up on Walleye and Bass but if you're inclinded to do so as any roughfisher would, you would go after the adult Lake Sturgeon that call this stretch of the river home and while you're monitoring for bites you might want to do some extended video tape survellance on this area of the river as the rare and unusual Paddlefish is often seen breaching during mating season.  Catching one is left open to snagging, mostly.  They are a filter feeder which means they essentially swim around their whole lives getting fat at the same time.