A Thousand Lakes Welcome You to Washburn County

Fishing, Boating and Water Sports. With over 1,000 lakes within just a few minutes' drive, Washburn County offers the best in waterfront activities all year round. Whether summer angling or winter ice fishing ... sailing, canoeing or speed boating ... swimming or scuba diving ... it's all here. Enjoy our 800-plus miles of lakeshore — some of it untouched natural wilderness, some equipped with all the amenities you could ever want. Either way, you'll find exactly what you need to experience your vacation at its fullest.

You can fish for muskies, northerns, bass, walleye, bluegill, crappies, panfish and trout on over 30,000 acres of water. The Birchwood area boasts the title of Wisconsin's bluegill capital, and 3,200-acre Long Lake is dubbed the walleye capital. You'll also want to visit the largest musky hatchery in the world, in Spooner. Birchwood, Minong, Shell Lake, and Springbrook all offer public swimming beaches, and you can enjoy excellent sandy beaches at shores of some of the private resorts and campgrounds. So come to the waterfront in Washburn County - whatever water sport you're looking for, you will find it here!

Rent a Pontoon

The sun is shining, the lake is sparkling, it's a perfect day for a pontoon ride! Several of our area businesses offer pontoon rentals for you to get out and enjoy a day on the water.