Manitowish River
A river in Wisconsin
About Manitowish River
The Manitowish runs 23 miles through Vilas and Iron counties, threading the lake country around Boulder Junction, Manitowish Waters and Mercer. The survey puts 538 acres of surface and 77 miles of bank on it. Like the Eagle River, its importance is in what it connects rather than in its own size.
Five public accesses are on record: the Benson Lake access, the Boulder Lake small craft landing, the Fishtrap dam portage, and two river accesses including one off Highway 51.
The state manages musky here across all three of its categories on different reaches — self-sustaining, natural reproduction plus stocking, and stocking with reproduction unknown. Walleye are classified as natural reproduction only, and lake sturgeon as naturally reproducing. Smallmouth habitat is classified as nursery and wadable warm water. For a river of this size to carry that spread of designations is unusual.
River and connected lakes can fall under different rules. Check the current DNR regulations for the water being fished.
Written from Wisconsin DNR hydrography and fisheries data. State water ID WBIC 2324400.
How the state manages it
- musky · Natural reproduction plus stocking (Cat. 2); Reproduction UNK, stocking occurs (Cat. 0); Self-sustaining via natural reproduction (Cat. 1)
- smallmouth · Wadable Nursery Waters; Wadable Warm Water
- sturgeon · Naturally Reproducing - ANSRI
- walleye · Natural Reproduction Only
Wisconsin DNR fisheries designations. These describe how the water is managed, not what is in it on any given day.
Fishing license
Wisconsin sells them online. Buy one from the state. We don’t know whether you need one — that depends on your age, where you live, the water, and what your guide’s own license covers.
Do you know this water?
The state lists these ramps nearby but doesn’t say which water they belong to. If you fish Manitowish River, you’ll know better than we do.
Island Lake Access
listed as "Island Lake" · 4 m away