Fishing & Boating

Rib Lake, where your water adventure awaits. Nestled amidst forests adorned with lakes and flowages, Rib Lake is your gateway to water activities. Whether you're an angler seeking the perfect fishing spot or a water enthusiast yearning for a refreshing swim, our vibrant community has something for everyone.

Explore from water or land as you indulge in boating, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, camping and hiking scenic trails along the shores of our numerous lakes. There is more to explore as Taylor County has hundreds of lakes and flowages, dotting its landscape. Some are private but 21 have public-access boat launches. Rib Lake and North Spirit Lake have some of the largest water surface areas in the county. The possibilities for water sports are endless to enjoy.

Water in Rib Lake and Taylor County with Public Access

10 Local Lakes

  1. Rib Lake

  2. Spirit Lake

  3. Wellington Lake

  4. South Harper Lake

  5. Wood Lake

  6. Camp Eight Flowage

  7. Stone Lake

  8. Chelsea Lake

  9. Mondeaux Flowage

  10. Miller Dam Flowage/Chequamegon Waters Flowage

Trout Streams

  1. Upper Big Rib Lake

  2. Black River

  3. Camp 11 Creek

  4. Fisher Creek

  5. Mink Creek

  6. Sheep Ranch Creek

  7. Silver Creek

  8. Spring Creek

  9. Unnamed Black Creek Watershed

  10. Wood Creek

Rib Lake is 320 acres

Fish: Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike and Walleye

  • 2 public boat landings

  • 3 public docks that are wheelchair accessible

  • Bathrooms, camping and playground at lakeview park

  • Camp 28 resort located on Rib Lake

  • Activities: Fishing, Boating, Canoeing & Kayaking, Water skiing, Camping, ATV trail access, Snowmobile Trail access


Lake Map

Spirit Lake is 137 acres

Fish: Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike and Walleye


Lake Map

Wellington Lake is 45 acres

Fish: Panfish, Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike

  • Public boat landing, beach & dock

  • Bathroom

  • Activities: Fishing, Boating, Canoeing & Kayaking, Swimming

South Harper is 320 acres

Fish: Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike and Walleye

  • Public boat landing and dock

  • Public Beach

  • Bathrooms

  • North & South Harper Lakes Association supports improvements

  • No wake from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 a.m

  • Activities: Fishing, Boating, Canoeing & Kayaking, Water skiing, Swimming

Wood Lake is 67 acres

Fish: Panfish and Largemouth Bass

  • Non-Motorized; The lake’s water clarity is low.

  • Public boat landings

  • Public Beach

  • Bathrooms, primitive camping and playground

  • Wood Lake Ice Age Trail section

  • Activities: Fishing, Boating, Primitive Camping, Hiking, Canoeing & Kayaking, bathrooms, playground, ATV trail access, Swimming

Camp Eight Flowage is 13 acres

Fish: Panfish and Largemouth Bass

  • Public boat landing

  • Bathrooms, changing room and hand pump well

  • Primitive camping: 12 wooded sites with picnic tables and fire pits

  • Activities: Fishing, Boating, Primitive Camping, Canoeing & Kayaking, Swimming, ATV trails

Stone Lake is 87 acres

Fish: Panfish, Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike

  • Public boat landing

  • Spirit Park public use area within 1000 feet of the lake

  • Activities: Fishing, Boating, Canoeing & Kayaking

Chelsea Lake is 91 acres

Fish: Panfish, Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike

  • Public boat landing

  • Public beach

  • Bathrooms

  • Activities: Fishing, Boating, Canoeing & Kayaking, Swimming


Lake Map

Mondeaux Flowage is 411 acres

Fish: Musky, Panfish and Largemouth Bass

  • Public boat landing

  • Public beach and park

  • Bathrooms

  • Mondeaux Dam Lodge restaurant

  • Activities: Fishing, Boating, Primitive Camping, Canoeing & Kayaking, Swimming

Miller Dam Flowage/Chequamegon Waters Flowage is 2366 acres

Fish: Panfish, Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike

  • Public boat landing

  • Bathrooms, camping and playground

  • Day trip from Rib Lake

  • Miller Dam Lake Association

  • Activities: Fishing, Boating, Primitive Camping, Canoeing & Kayaking, Swimming

Trout Streams

Rib Lake Area Trout Fishing

Among the nearly 500 miles of scenic rivers, flowing through Taylor County only about 60 miles are recorded trout streams. It takes very special conditions to qualify as a trout stream. Fly fisherman will find bubbling water to fish, while surrounded by lush forests. With a little luck, you may go home a brown trout.

Upper Big Rib River
The Upper Big Rib River near the town of Rib Lake has portions rated as Class I, II, and III with excellent water quality and trout fishing opportunity. The river is also known for small-mouth bass and walleye and has a Class A musky rating.

Black River
The Black River has portions of Class II and III trout stream . About half of its length winds through natural wildlife areas (Van Loon State Wildlife Area and the Upper Mississippi River Fish & Wildlife Refuge).

Camp 11 Creek
Camp 11 Creek is a managed Class II trout stream that flows for about 4.17 miles off of the Upper South Fork Jump River.

Fisher Creek
Fisher Creek is a Class III trout stream that flows from Chelsea Lake near Westboro.

Mink Creek
Mink Creek is a managed Class II trout stream about 2.12 miles in length. It flows from the South Fork Jump River.

Sheep Ranch Creek
Sheep Ranch Creek is a Class II trout stream north of Rib Lake.

Silver Creek
Silver Creek is a tributary of Fisher Creek and has a Class I rating at the headwaters and Class III rating downstream.

Spring Creek
Spring Creek is a Class II trout stream 5 miles in length. It is a tributary to the Big Rib River.

Unnamed Black Creek Watershed
This unnamed Black Creek Watershed area is a Class II trout stream. The 3.9-mile waterway travels through Taylor and Marathon counties.

Wood Creek
Wood Creek is a Class II waterway 10 miles in length. It joins the Big Rib River southeast of the town of Rib Lake.

Taylor County Trout Stream Map

Trout streams fall into three classes based on whether they hold wild, stocked or a combination of trout populations:

  • Class I: Natural reproduction provides a healthy population of wild trout for sport fishing. These streams are known for small and slow-growing trout.

  • Class II: Some natural reproduction occurs, but additional fish are stocked to keep the population vibrant enough for sport fishing. You may see larger than average fish resulting from good survival rates over the winter.

  • Class III: No natural reproduction occurs, but annual stocking by fisheries supplies a viable sport trout population each year.

Local Waterbody Name - Start Mile | End Mile
Big Rib River CLASS III - 37.00 | 42.44
Big Rib River CLASS II - 42.36 | 46.62
Big Rib River CLASS I - 46.62 | 51.72
Black River CLASS II - 175.35 | 190.87
Black River CLASS III - 168.83 | 175.35
Camp Eleven Creek CLASS II - 0.00 | 4.17
Fisher Creek CLASS III - 0.00 | 4.00
Mink Creek CLASS II - 0.00 | 2.12
Mink Creek CLASS III - 0.00 | 5.78
Sheep Ranch Creek CLASS II - 0.71 | 5.24
Silver Creek CLASS III - 11.44 | 16.82
Silver Creek CLASS III - 16.81 | 21.27
Spring Creek CLASS II - 0.00 | 5.06
Unnamed Cr 17-6 CLASS II - 0.00 | 3.90
Unnamed Creek 21-14 CLASS I - 3.15 | 5.54
Unnamed Creek 5-12 CLASS II - 0.00 | 3.71
Wood Creek CLASS II - 0.00 | 10.95