Where to launch on the Chippewa River

Just curious where a good place to launch your boat from is.

Thanks,

Pete

What section are you looking to fish?

which area of the chip do youintend to fish? i may be able to help you get started.walleyedds

I have launched just on the nelson side of the bridge between pepin and nelson. The water is moving fast there and the launch drops off past the cement slab. So use caution. This is also a challenge to load but it works!!!

In the Eau Claire are we have two excellent ramps in town and one bad one, the Dells Pond portion above the dam downtown has a nice landing at Riverview Park just as you cross the North Crossing over the river. The other nice landing is at Mt Simon park, you would have to weave through town to get there- its not easy to explain! Then for access below the dam there is Hobbs landing next to Hobbs Ice Center off of Water street. This portion of river is very tricky and you will need to know what you are doing or you will end up regretting, its pretty rocky. Dells Pond portion of the river is more of a lake/ river setting with plenty of places to rip your lower unit off but the main channel is much more defined. From Eau Claires logging days there are areas with huge logs stuck in the river bed for tying off logs in the winter, the landing at Riverview has a map that shows were these area’s are. Fish these areas for starters and you will be well on your way to catching fish in this part of the river….There are more boat landing as you move up the river depending on what portion you would like too fish, the section of river between downtown Chippewa Falls and downtown Lake Wissota has a nice boat landing and great little fishery, moving above Lake Wissota above the dam in Jim Falls off of Hwy 178 is the landing for the Old Abe section of river. This landing is very tricky but once you move out to the main channel about 400′ from the landing it is actually a pretty easy section to navigate for about 8 miles of pure fishing pleasure, then last section I know is following up 178 just as you get into Cornell is a state park called Burnet Island, it has great camping and a very nice launch. That should keep you busy for a few years, I know it has for me!

As a add on, if you have a carry on canoe or small boat, there is excellent fishing to be had downtown EC behind the city shops and right at the dam, also at the Y were the Eau Claire river dumps into the Chippewa. They made a very nice park at this location recently and added nice rip rap on that shorline next to the RCU building. A friend of mine who has passed on, his nephew caught a 53″ musky there about ten years ago. All three of these locations are excellent musky / walleye / smally holes in the fall…..You can park and carry right there at all three locations but it is a walk down to each spot…

Thanks for all the input! I’m mainly looking to try it around Eau Claire, Maybe below? I have a fairly small 14′ boat and just was looking for possibly adding a new fishery to the list.

I haven’t been real good at bringing the camera along this fall but here are a few pictures of my last week outings at Dells Pond (Chippewa River), these fish have been pretty typical average fish this fall, right dead nuts in the middle of the slot- give or take a little!

I don’t know if you read all this stuff James but this new photo software you have here rocks! Allow’s computer idiots like me to even be able to do it

Nice lab too!!!

Mark

Thanks! My teenage daughters get jealous of all the attention I give her My first female dog and a real treat. Hey I plan on snomobiling up Boulder Junction way this winter for a couple days we should get together and have a beer and catch fish!

Bigpike, those are some nice looking fish! It might be getting a little late in the year for me to be exploring on the Chippewa but next spring I think I will have to pay a visit.

The walleye fishing has died down for me the last few weeks and the weather has been dicey when I have chances to fish- today being a prime example, we can make plans next spring and hit it, last spring when the temp hit the high 50’s low 60’s I had a great crank bite on Old Abe for a few weeks, drop me a line if I forget next spring and we will hit that…..

Sounds good to me!