Shawano Elite Series – Northern Division

The Shawano Elite Series – Northern Division runs from early March through mid-October 2026, bringing professional anglers, amateur competitors, and bass fishing teams to the rich waters of Shawano Lake and the Wolf River for one of Wisconsin’s premier tournament circuits. Set in the northeastern corner of the state just forty miles west of Green Bay, this season-long competition culminates in an October championship that draws serious competitors and spectators alike to waters that have sustained fishing traditions for generations.

Shawano Lake spans 6,178 acres within a 62-square-mile watershed, offering abundant populations of largemouth and smallmouth bass along with musky, walleye, northern pike, and panfish that make these tournaments as challenging as they are rewarding. The Wolf River, one of Wisconsin’s longest at nearly 230 miles, feeds directly into the lake and provides tournament anglers with diverse structure and habitat rarely found in a single venue.

The landscape surrounding Shawano delivers the quintessential Wisconsin Northwoods experience without the drive into the state’s far reaches. The Navarino State Wildlife Area covers 15,000 acres of prairie, woodland, marsh, and flowage where sandhill cranes call from the reeds and over 100 bird species have been documented, including tundra swans and American white pelicans during spring migration. Sturgeon Park offers one of the region’s most remarkable natural spectacles each April and May, when prehistoric lake sturgeon called Nama’o by the Menominee people migrate up the Wolf River from Lake Winnebago to spawn in waters shallow enough to watch these ancient fish by the hundreds. The Mountain Bay State Trail stretches 83 miles from Weston near Wausau to Howard Park near Green Bay, passing directly through Shawano on a former rail corridor perfect for cycling, hiking, and autumn leaf-peeping through landscapes punctuated by over 400 barn quilts that have earned the region the title of Wisconsin’s Barn Quilt Capital.

Shawano’s dining scene embraces the Wisconsin supper club tradition with establishments that feel less like restaurants than community institutions. Dixon’s Torchlite anchors the east side of town with prime rib, seafood, and the unhurried pace of a classic supper club where the salad bar accompanies every entrée and old fashioneds arrive properly brandy-forward. Kassidy’s Studio Lounge has earned a devoted following for its Friday fish fry, Saturday steaks, and Sunday chicken specials, plus old fashioneds that locals argue might be the region’s best. Classic’s Restaurant and Lounge decorates its walls with music memorabilia and electric guitars, offering French-influenced cuisine with live performances on weekends and monthly wine pairing dinners. For something more casual, Stubborn Brothers Brewery pours craft ales in a lovingly restored downtown theater, while Farm Inn’ on Main dishes generous portions of farm-style comfort food and fresh-baked goods that draw crowds from well beyond county lines.

Beyond the tournament schedule and supper clubs, Shawano invites exploration of Native American heritage at the Menominee Cultural Museum and the Stockbridge-Munsee Band’s Arvid E. Miller Memorial Library Museum, where artifacts and exhibits illuminate millennia of indigenous history along these waterways. Three casinos operated by area nations offer gaming and dining, while the Shawano Ski Sharks water ski team performs free shows on Wednesday evenings throughout summer at Franklin Park along the Wolf River. Twig’s Beverage Museum in downtown Shawano tells the quirky story of regional soft drink bottling and lets visitors sample unusual flavors at the tasting bar.

Whether you’re chasing tournament glory, floating the Wolf River on a lazy afternoon tube ride, or simply watching the sun drop behind the lake from a shoreline dock, Shawano delivers the kind of authentic Wisconsin lake country experience that rewards return visits season after season. Book a vacation rental on Lake.com and settle into a community where bass tournaments, barn quilts, and brandy old fashioneds define a way of life worth discovering.