R R Bayview Resort Hayward Wisconsin

The Lake is the Boss: Wisconsin's wilderness lake

Despite the weather forecasts of doom and gloom we had a pretty good paddle weekend on The Flowage, as those of us who grew up in the area refer to it. The Chippewa Flowage or 'Big Chip' is an impoundment of the Chippewa River that was created when NSP (now Excel Energy) built the Winter dam in 1924. Only about 7% of the 233 miles of shoreline has any sort of development and there are 140 islands, many of which have first come first serve campsites. The lake is known for muskie fishing and at least one world record has come out of its waters. For that reason it has been a prime fishing lake since well before I was born. Normally the lake is dotted with fishing boats but the fishing opener is not until next weekend and that's why the GurneyGranny suggested that this would be the perfect weekend to hit the Flowage. I have been coming up to the area since shortly after I was born because my great aunt and uncle had a cottage on the lake. We all met on Friday night for the mandatory Wisconsin fish fry. Even though Pope Paul VI said it was OK not to eat fish on Fridays back in 1966, Wisconsinites have not quite embraced that yet and Friday fish is still a tradition. Our fish venue was the venerable Herman's Landing (now called simply 'The Landing') in the middle of The Flowage. It has been owned and operated by the Lac Court Orielles band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (official BIA designation) and has had a checkered history since they acquired it in 1999 but things are going well now. I looked at the 1954 big musky chart on the wall and noticed the name of one of my dad's cronies, Al Scott, a bar owner from my home town of Eau Claire. Who knows, the old man might have been on that trip and Al caught the only legal fish. GG had booked us in a 3 bedroom cabin at the R&R Bayview resort, correctly assuming that weather and arrival times might not accommodate paddling out to an island and setting up on a Friday night.

Introductory statistics with R

The R book

Wisconsin, A History

Wisconsin

Wisconsin journal of education