Big Falls Flowage (Rusk County)

Waterbody ID (WBIC): 2230100 — permanent page /lakes/2230100/.

Big Falls Flowage is in Rusk County; records show 281 acres and 1 DNR access-site record.

Size

281 acres

Lake type

DRAINAGE

Max depth

45 ft

Mean depth

11 ft

• 1 documented public access site record (DNR access inventory)
• 8 fish species/groups with abundance categories (DNR lake page)
• Summer Secchi clarity median 4.7 ft (field measurements)
• Official DNR depth map available (PDF)

Back to results Show on map Choose access / Directions Depth map (PDF) Check current DNR regulations

Plan your visit

• Lake directory: public landing — Yes
• Lake directory: public beach — No
• Lake directory: public park — No
• DNR public-access inventory: 1 documented access site record
• DNR public-access inventory: documented developed boat ramp
• 1 site qualify for per-site Directions through the reviewed lake association (load the site details below)

Each statement is bounded to its named source; absence of a record is never evidence of no access. The DNR access database may lag reality; posted signs at the landing are authoritative.

Verify at the DNR public boat access program page.

Fishing

The DNR lake page publishes 8 fish species/groups with abundance categories — categories are source labels, never a population count.

DNR fish labels: Smallmouth Bass—Common; Walleye—Common; Catfish—Present; not population counts.

No fisheries survey population estimate is published for this lake in the covered report families.

• Musky reproductive status (DNR mapped): Natural reproduction plus stocking (Cat. 2)

Fishing limits — 2026-2027 season: 19 normalized rows across 19 species entries. Normalized from the DNR ruleset retrieved 2026-08-04. Source text remains authoritative.

2026-2027 retained fishing rules: 19 published rows for 19 species; effective through 2027-03-07. Check current DNR rules.

Water and setting

• Field-measured summer Secchi clarity: median 4.7 ft from 8 samples, latest sample 2019-08-27
• Satellite clarity estimate: 7.38 ft (2017) — a remote-sensing estimate, kept separate from field measurements

Official DNR depth map (PDF) — Historical lake map; not for navigation. Link checked 2026-07-16.

• AIS record: Curly-leaf pondweed — Verified (vouchered), latest documented 2011-12-31
• AIS record: Eurasian watermilfoil — Verified (vouchered), latest documented 2009-05-28

Occurrence records come from a non-exhaustive DNR inventory; a record documents presence at observation time and a missing record is never evidence of absence.

• Public-land proximity (GIS proxy, not access evidence): mapped public land within 1,000 ft; nearest: Flambeau River State Forest (Wisconsin DNR); ≈11.7% of shoreline buffer
• Shoreline development (landcover proxy, 2025 source): ≈6.1% developed land within 300 m, ≈1% impervious
• Road proximity (TIGER proxy, 2025 source): nearest local road or city street ≈11 m; ≈1.1 km of road per km² within 1 km

• Priority Navigable Waterway — basis: musky area, sturgeon area, walleye area

Designations are legally defined DNR records shown as their sources state them; no composite rating is implied.

Data & sources

Published data families

• Fish species and abundance (DNR lake pages)
• Fishing regulations (normalized snapshot)
• Directory access facts (landing, beach, park)
• Public access site inventory
• Satellite water clarity estimate
• Field-measured Secchi clarity
• Aquatic invasive species occurrences

Original records: Wisconsin DNR lake page.

Missing values are unpublished, never zero; each fact above is bounded to its named source and date. Full sourcing detail: Data & methods.