Meet up in Wisconsin

[WiskyDan]

When is the best time to visit Partridge and Poygan? We went July last year and the water was nasty... green stains on my hull when we got home. Those shallow lakes get a lot of bloom it seems.

I haven’t made it up to Partridge but June/July/early August were really nice on Winnebago and Poygan last summer. There were some algae blooms when we went through some wet periods but they didn’t last long.

 

[CAP44]

We are always up for adventures in WI.

 

[WiskyDan]

Sound like we’re getting some traction on this!!

 

[906Tony]

I’m 2 hours north of Green Bay, I would join in.

 

[RiverRat]

I’m 2 hours north of Green Bay, I would join in.

I was just up in the 906 last week. Snowboarding at Mt. Bohemia. Gorgeous up there in the winter!

 

[WiskyDan]

Was in Breckenridge two weeks ago and it was glorious.

@RiverRat: I’ve never been to Bohemia. They don’t make snow or groom there, correct?

 

[906Tony]

Was in Breckenridge two weeks ago and it was glorious.

@RiverRat: I’ve never been to Bohemia. They don’t make snow or groom there, correct?

I don’t think they need to make any snow up there with the amount of lake effect they get off Lake Superior. Not sure on grooming, I’ve never skied that place. Im more in to groomed runs myself

 

[RiverRat]

Was in Breckenridge two weeks ago and it was glorious.

@RiverRat: I’ve never been to Bohemia. They don’t make snow or groom there, correct?

They do not make snow, no grooming. They average something like 275 inches up on the Keewenaw. Totals are down a bit this year, so it was tracked out a bit more than usual, but still a blast.

 

[906Tony]

They do not make snow, no grooming. They average something like 275 inches up on the Keewenaw. Totals are down a bit this year, so it was tracked out a bit more than usual, but still a blast.

My parents are from up there and I was raised in the southern half of the U.P. As beautiful as that area is , I’m very thankful I do not live there. We get way less snow here and it’s still more than I want to see, but I do like skiing as it passes time till boating season!

 

[Wheelspin]

Following -from S.E. MN.

 

[drewkaree]

If you're gonna go to 'bago, that's where you're going to end up. Getting to the other lakes isn't going to be as nice from Winnebago as the visit would be if you were to drop in somewhere in Oshkosh. Closer access to the rest of the lakes, plenty of places to eat nearby, and super close to the freeway for anyone coming. Butte des Morts to Winneconne to Poygan, up the Wolf to Partridge, all of that is a nice trip, buoys are well marked for much of the area, and the water will be super nice. I'm biased because I'm ON Poygan, but that's where I'd consider.

As for the algae blooms, there's no rhyme or reason, as the "season" for them is mid June through September. The deciding factor on them is the weather. Extended periods of warm weather and calm days will bring them on. As for the green that might add some color to your boat, it's more of the water in general, and not really the algae. Yes, it'll contribute, but because it's all relatively shallow, you'll get a lot more stirred up, as well as a lot of "help" from the duck/goose population. In the creek by us, the phrase is "it's only about 2 feet of water and 5 feet of loon shit". Poygan itself used to be a wild rice field, which is why my family came to the area - the waterfowl and the hunting action. That kind of depth is not going to get you crystal blue water LOL

The chain over by Waupaca/King is VERY nice for a trip, but IMO, it's a waste if you go there thinking you'll enjoy "boating". There's a ridiculously small area that you can actually open up the throttles, and other than that, it's really almost entirely slow/no wake. There's 2-3 bars to go hopping around at, and as a result, they're generally swamped. It really is more suited to pontoons, fishing, and canoes/kayaks. The "booze cruise" they have is really fun, but more of an adult thing, and it's on the "paddlewheel" they have there, and you'd have to find out when they're going out.

If you're coming to Poygan, head over to Norwegian Bay by Indian Point. There's ALWAYS a group there if the weather is nice enough, and the water will range from 1.5-4' over quite a large area - right in front of my own place, for example, you can walk out at least a hundred yards before it starts to get deeper than 3'. My own launch can only handle legit parking for a few boats, but if a group is coming, I can easily secure parking for 15+ boats with the neighbors - we just don't advertise for strangers Alder Creek is where our launch is, and anyone new to their boat is welcome to come and enjoy the nice low pressure of the area (as long as duck/goose season isn't open, then we're friggen Newark airport for boats!)

There's 2 bars to easily access from Poygan, Captain's Cove and Boom Bay Bar & Grille. Both are...worth the visit for their "unique" atmosphere. A good attitude is necessary, because the customer is NOT always right LOL Heading up the river (Wolf) from Poygan, it'll be slow/no-wake for chunks, but if you get too hot, you can stop at Wolf River Lodge, Hahn-a-Lula, Gala Resort...if you're getting low on fuel, Anchor Point Marina will get you where you need to go...little further up the river, "downtown" Fremont will have The Bridge Bar & Hotel Fremont right on the water (both likely to be SUPER busy if the weather's nice. A little further up the river is The Nauti Turtle, and if you've made it that far, you can see the hook on Partridge Lake where there will also be a nice gathering of people if the weather is nice.

If you stop on by, make sure to wave with all five fingers, and I have friends and relatives spying all over the place for me, so if you sink your boat, there's a good chance I'll not only hear about it, but someone will have video to pass along to me!


I'm not sure if the Sand Bar Bash is going to happen again this year, but if so, that's on Butte Des Morts sometime in August. If you're interested, look up their facebook page. I'm not on Facebook, but the neighbors usually let us know when it's happening. That's not really as conducive for a meetup, since there's a few hundred other folks there, but it could easily be arranged - just something to consider if that's a timeframe being mulled over. My boat is somewhere in this pic for an idea of how many will be there for that:

 

[WiskyDan]

@drewkaree Excellent info - thank you!! Would you be interested in helping plan this? Having a “locals” knowledge would be helpful I think. I would offer my time to help, whatever that is worth.

I've never been farther west on Poygan than the weed bed area (right around the bend when you pass through Winneconne) people gather to float around - the sand in that area is great.

The Sand Bar Bash is set for August 7th. We cruised past the gathering early in the morning last year bit didn’t want to tie up in a big raft line because we wouldn’t have stayed all day. It looks like fun but maybe too many people for my liking. Maybe we could tie off in a smaller group away from the bigger raft lines?

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[drewkaree]

@drewkaree Excellent info - thank you!! Would you be interested in helping plan this? Having a “locals” knowledge would be helpful I think. I would offer my time to help, whatever that is worth.

I've never been farther west on Poygan than the weed bed area (right around the bend when you pass through Winneconne) people gather to float around - the sand in that area is great.

The Sand Bar Bash is set for August 7th. We cruised past the gathering early in the morning last year bit didn’t want to tie up in a big raft line because we wouldn’t have stayed all day. It looks like fun but maybe too many people for my liking. Maybe we could tie off in a smaller group away from the bigger raft lines?

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There's another weed bed just a touch further west (almost due west from where you're talking about), it's a group of 3 "patches", only about 5 minutes or so from where you were. At the furthest west of those, you can see a blue house on the northern side of the lake, that's my neighbor. I'm the white house on the other side of the street. The big empty lot is mine also. I think many moons ago, there was an eminent domain thing where they plunked a road down and stuck a boat launch in between the lots my family owned.

So probably 10 minutes west, and on the northern side of the lake by the 3 silos (if you miss them, I'd wonder how you were able to even launch your boat! LOL), that's Norwegian Bay / Indian Point. Not as sandy as the area you were at, but WAY larger of an area that kids will feel comfortable walking around since it's so shallow.

Stop on by sometime, stay away from my boathouse on the empty lot side (it's literally ankle deep!) until I can figure out the best way to redneck dredge that loon shit to the other side of my peninsula.

I'm willing to "tour guide", but if planning were my strong suit, I'd have already remodeled my cottage, instead of having one room 90% done while looking to start on another room already! I can verify that there are more than a few jet boaters out and about on Poygan, as well as up the river. Haven't met any forum members yet, but that may have changed since I talked with them. I really need a flag or a sticker or something.

Beyond my lake, heading up the Wolf towards Partridge...it's a nice trip up, and stopping for a chunk of time at Partridge is nice, but you're really missing a nice ride and some excellent scenery if you stop at that point. @RiverRat would like it beyond that point, I'd think. Red Banks Resort is a touch further up the river from Partridge, Nipple Beach isn't all that big for a sandbar but it's a nice stopping place for a bit...at times it feels like you may hear banjos, but just keep paddlin'!

My neighbors are excellent idea people too, when it comes to boats. As long as they're around, they're the true locals and I just steal info from them until I learn some more on my own!

 

[WiskyDan]

@drewkaree Fair enough, tour guide it is. Is the area in front of your house sandy like the weed bed areas?

@Scott Huse what do you think of this? I know that “weed bed” doesn’t sound great but it’s area of reed-type beds that are offshore. Very sandy and water gets to be about 2’ (IIRC) when you get near the beds.

I‘m only familiar with three sandbar/cove areas on the Winnebago chain but I know there are more:

• The weed bed area on Poygan that I just mentioned.
• Velvet beach just north of the harbor entrance to Pipe which is on the southeast shore of Winnebago. Been there a couple times and wasn’t crowded on either occasion. A smidge rocky close to shore but the sand is nice about 75-100 yards off shore.
• Streich’s cove on the southwest shore of Winnebago. This appears to be the go-to spot on Winnebago and can get crowded. Bottom is sandy as you get closer to shore.

Any thoughts from those that are more familiar with Winnebago chain like drewkaree would be most welcome as well as thoughts on doing this on a different body of water.

 

[drewkaree]

@drewkaree Fair enough, tour guide it is. Is the area in front of your house sandy like the weed bed areas?

@Scott Huse what do you think of this? I know that “weed bed” doesn’t sound great but it’s area of reed-type beds that are offshore. Very sandy and water gets to be about 2’ (IIRC) when you get near the beds.

I‘m only familiar with three sandbar/cove areas on the Winnebago chain but I know there are more:

• The weed bed area on Poygan that I just mentioned.
• Velvet beach just north of the harbor entrance to Pipe which is on the southeast shore of Winnebago. Been there a couple times and wasn’t crowded on either occasion. A smidge rocky close to shore but the sand is nice about 75-100 yards off shore.
• Streich’s cove on the southwest shore of Winnebago. This appears to be the go-to spot on Winnebago and can get crowded. Bottom is sandy as you get closer to shore.

Any thoughts from those that are more familiar with Winnebago chain like drewkaree would be most welcome as well as thoughts on doing this on a different body of water.

It is. For the most part, all of Poygan is a relatively sandy bottom. The area I believe you're talking about is the pink circle. It won't show up very well on satellite pics, but that's gonna be the area. My place is the heart on the north shore, so you can see, not that far away.




For @RiverRat here's a nice ride I referred to earlier. Again, my place is the heart, Partridge Lake is the yellow circle, and the pink circle is Partridge Crop Lake, and the farthest I've been via the river. Had to stop at Guth's, right where the pink circle is. The entire trip, from my place to the pink circle via water, would be about a 3 hour trip on a weekend, and about 1.5-2 hours during the week. Only real SANDBAR stopping point is a place called Nipple Beach, enough room to hold maybe 4-5 boats, but nothing as nice as the sandbar in your pics above. Partridge has an actual beach, and tie-ups are right there too. If the kids are into seeing interesting stuff (and you're into asking), Guth's, Weiland's & Gill's Landing are cool places to stop for lunch. If it's the adults, add Red Banks or Pine Grove for a drink or three. Any bar along the river is a hoot to stop at, really. The river is always moving at a reasonable rate, but earlier in the year, it's REALLY moving, so bring some good fenders and 2 anchors.

 

[Brad460]

@drewkaree- You always provide great information!
I credit you with making the Lake Winnebago area as one of our favorite places to boat. We haven’t gone much farther than the entrance to Lake Winneconne, but this coming summer we will venture much further up..

 

[drewkaree]

@drewkaree- You always provide great information!
I credit you with making the Lake Winnebago area as one of our favorite places to boat. We haven’t gone much farther than the entrance to Lake Winneconne, but this coming summer we will venture much further up..

We started re-visiting the area after my dad passed in '15, and I remember having a blast in the area as a kid, up until I got my driver's license and "going up north" became less appealing than driving around all weekend with my friends while mom and dad were up north (at the time, a 2+ hour drive). Since coming back to the area, it's really become an area that my neighbors have made so appealing and fun, I see it as a good thing for others to enjoy.

Before '15, we would go camping at Calumet County Park 3-4 times a year with the in-laws, and my FIL really enjoyed Winnebago. I've got friends/relatives in/around Oshkosh...the whole area, I can see myself retiring there when the time comes. I'm not as familiar with Winnebago, but I'm good with most everything through to where @WiskyDan keeps his boat. If you've still got your boat, you're welcome to come on over and visit. If you want to save some fuel, drive another half hour and drop in right at my launch (or at several other launches on the way). It'll save you a quarter tank of fuel on the boat, and you won't get hammered with on-water fuel prices while enjoying the area. Right in Fremont by the Bridge Bar there's a launch or just down the river at The Webfooters show site, from downtown Fremont to my place, you can put in @ Gala Resort, Hahn-a-Lula, or Chico's Landing...those will put you on the Wolf River itself, halfway-ish between Poygan and Partridge.

All in all, my idea, if folks would be up for the area, there's a few places to stay. If considering a "river tour", the Hotel Fremont has accomodations, Jellystone Park, Gala Resort, or Hahn-a-Lula have cabins for rent as well - Hahn's is better) and there's launches nearby, and you can head upriver or downriver, with access to on-water fuel at Anchor Point Marina, or multiple gas stations close by. If considering a river/lake situation for folks who might come to camp or need a rental, Hahn-a-Lula, Chico's, Gala Resort, and possibly Wolf River Lodge would have accomodations or you can get some nice places from Cabin On The Wolf - one of them is directly across the creek from me, but NOT conducive to jet boat parking (IF you end up there, hit me up for some way to dock).

I'm all about being an ambassador for the area - I find it to be a little slice of back country heaven.

 

[cdmusic68]

We’re in Green Bay and usually head up to the north woods lakes for day trips with our old I/O. This year will be out first with our AR190. I’ve always heard lake Winnebago is sort of scummy and algae-y, so we’ve never had a boat out there. I suppose that’s just during very warm weather, maybe? You guys are making me want to check it out!

I’ve been thinking about starting a thread here asking about stupid secret spots around WI...my example is how one of the islands on Wheeler Lake has a homemade rope swing into the water. It’s super sketchy but really fun! I’d like to know other silly places like that around the area!

 

[anmut]

About 5 years ago my parents moved into a condo just south of the Winneconnie bridge, on the east side. They were there with their Hurricane next to some million dollar power boats purchase by Chicago gangster money, which was pretty cool. Those boats would fire up and rattle a condo window from 200 yards, pretty impressive.

Anyway, we did a lot of boating for a couple years on that area, enjoyed the reed area in your purple circle for swimming. Two years ago they moved closer to use in Stevens Point, but last year the family and I did the trip from the Freemont boat landing to the south end of the Winnie. Besides the staining of my boat, it was a blast. Winnie was "fairly calm" that day and we spent some time at the sandbar that's on the west side of the lake just a mile or so south of where the river dumps into the lake.

My biggest takeaway from that trip was the crazy amount of Yamaha boats I saw I bet I saw at least two dozen different boats that day. When we got back up to partridge there was at least four Yamaha's chilling at that sandbar. We got out about 7pm, just in time to see some asshole in a speed boat nearly side-swipe two fishermen on the river - came within feet of them before turning at the last second. Dumb drunks.

 

[anmut]

2021 season started early and My only mistake was to forget to put my clean out plugs in!