Shawano Lake is a lake situated in Shawano County

Shawano County, Wisconsin

Shawano County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 40,664. Its county seat is Shawano.-History:...

 in northeastern Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

. Shawano Lake is a hard water drainage lake with multiple inlets and one major outlet, the Wolf River

Wolf River (Fox River)

The Wolf River, long, is one of the two National Scenic Rivers in Wisconsin, along with the St. Croix River. The scenic portion is long. It rises in the north woods of the state, with the northernmost fork stemming from Pine Lake in Forest County. The river then flows south through Langlade and...

. A dam on the Wolf River located in the City of Shawano

Shawano, Wisconsin

Shawano is a city in Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,305 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Shawano County...

 raises the water levels of Shawano Lake. Shawano Lake is approximately 6178 acres (25 km²), with an average depth of approximately 9 feet (2.7 m) and a maximum depth of approximately 42 feet (12.8 m). The shoreline length is estimated at 18 miles (29 km). The Towns of Westcott

Wescott, Wisconsin

Wescott is a town in Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,653 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 30.3 square miles , of which 22.7 square miles is land and 7.7 square miles is...

, and Washington

Washington, Shawano County, Wisconsin

Washington is a town in Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,903 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.0 square miles , of which, 35.4 square miles of it is land and 3.6 square miles of...

, and the Village of Cecil

Cecil, Wisconsin

Cecil is a village in Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 466 at the 2000 census. The village was named after a railroad man, Cecil Leavitt when the Railroad was finished in 1884.-Geography:...

 border Shawano Lake.

Activities

Shawano Lake is a popular lake for recreational fishing, boating, swimming, water skiing, bird watching, hunting, and other outdoor activities. It is currently a eutrophic lake with elevated levels of algae blooms, nutrients, and nuisance aquatic plants. Aquatic plant management is a major management objective for the lake.

Shawano Lake is one of the most heavily fished lakes in the area. It contains many species of fish, including walleye, largemouth bass and panfish in the early season. Ice fisherman concentrate on northern pike and panfish. Fishing tournaments are common on the lake. Two ice racing

Ice racing

Ice racing is a form of racing that uses cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles, All-terrain vehicles, or other motorized vehicles. Ice racing takes place on frozen lakes or rivers, or on carefully groomed frozen lots...

 tracks are used on the lake in the winter.

Development

Shawano Lake is heavily developed, with dense residential housing surrounding most of the shoreline. It lies within the Shawano Lake Sanitary District, so all dwellings have sanitary sewers and public water supply. There are many resorts and cabin rentals on the lake.

Fishing and Wildlife

Shawano Lake is managed as a warm water fishery. The primary game fish species are northern pike

Northern Pike

The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...

, largemouth bass

Largemouth bass

The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...

, and walleye

Walleye

Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...

. The predominant panfish are bluegill

Bluegill

The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...

, black crappie, yellow perch

Yellow perch

The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...

 and pumpkinseed

Pumpkinseed

The pumpkinseed sunfish is a freshwater fish of the sunfish family of order Perciformes. It is also referred to as "pond perch", "common sunfish", "punkys", and "sunny".-Range and distribution:...

. Good natural reproduction supports the fishery. Over the last ten years a musky

Muskellunge

A muskellunge , also known as a muskelunge, muscallonge, milliganong, or maskinonge , is a large, relatively uncommon freshwater fish of North America. Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae...

 population has been established and is maintained by annual stocking. A walleye spawning reef was developed on Shawano Lake in the mid-1980s. Green sturgeon exist in relative abundance. Annual fall electrofishing surveys are conducted on the lake to monitor the reproductive success of walleye and largemouth bass, with periodic spring fyke netting surveys conducted to monitor the overall fishery.

Shawano Lake is important as a resting stop for migrating waterfowl. Numerous species of wildlife inhabit the undeveloped shoreland areas. Standing dead and dying trees (snags) on the uplands provide habitat for various species of birds and insects, including bald eagle

Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...

s, bat

Bat

Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...

s, woodpecker

Woodpecker

Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....

s, and songbirds. Several species of mammals and birds use cavities in trees for dens. Salamanders, small mammals, and invertebrates use downed and rotting logs for protection, feeding and breeding sites. Downed trees in or at the water's edge (woody cover) are especially valuable for resting and feeding areas. Aquatic and wetland vegetation at or near the water's edge provides critical habitat for small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and fish at all life stages.

Lake Access

Shawano Lake has about 24 access points, which are a combination of public and private landings and town owned fire lanes. A county park is located on Shawano Lake, with a swimming beach and boat launch. A second park is located within the Village of Cecil, which is used as an access point for one of the ice racing tracks.

Shawano Municipal Airport

Shawano Municipal Airport

Shawano Municipal Airport is a public-use airport located one nautical mile northeast of the central business district of Shawano, a city in Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The airport is owned by the city and county...

 is also located on Shawano Lake and uses part of the lake for a runway. It is frequently used for pontoon plane take-offs and landings during the summer months.

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