Located only 12 miles east of Hayward, Callahan and Mud Lakes offer residents and visitors alike the benefit of quiet and serene lakes in a Northwoods setting. The lakes are just east of Round Lake, north of the Chippewa Flowage and south of the Tiger Cat Flowage. Both lakes are popular for fisherman, long known to be two of the most active musky and largemouth bass fishing lakes in Wisconsin. Although the two lakes have separate names, it is difficult to tell where one begins and one ends. Together, Callahan Lake (approximately 138 square acres in size) and Mud Lake (approximately 464 acres in size) cover just about 600 acres. Boasting a shoreline of 8.3 acres, the lakes have a maximum depth of 18 feet, and Secchi disk readings of around 11 feet. Most of the area covered by Mud and Callahan Lakes, however, is much shallower. In them, you’ll find muskies, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and panfish. The only public access is via a resort on Callahan Lake and a landing at the north end of Mud Lake. The Callahan and Mud Lake area also offers large stretches of shoreline in low-lying wetlands bogs and islands home to deer, ducks, loons, eagles, herons, muskrat, beaver, otter and more. The lakes offer great paddling opportunities through channels in the bogs and islands, as well as up the Chief River. Approximately 105 homes surround the two lakes.
History of the Lakes
As adapted from The Memoirs of Jan Smith, owner of the Callahan Lake Resort and Campground
Building on the rich logging history in nearby Hayward that dates back to the 1800s, our lakes pull from a heritage of lumberjacks, shenanigans and early settlers. The first settler on Callahan Lake was Bill Strasus. Bill was a logger and he built a home on Callahan Lake in 1914 and then another in 1919 for his parents. At that time, they would fish Callahan Lake and then fight their way through trees and muck to get to Mud Lake. “Callahan Bill,” as he was known, was said to have purchased plots of land and after logging it, would refuse to pay the taxes. He set up a sawmill behind his home and the stories about his colorful life continue to this day.
In 1937, a system of dams and spillways were built, which allowed Mud and Callahan Lakes to combine, creating flowage-type waters. With floating bogs, islands and natural underwater structures, it created excellent habitat for musky, largemouth bass, walleye and pan fish. Wildlife was abundant. At this point, word spread quickly about this “secret” paradise in the Northwoods. Eventually four resorts opened on Callahan (Highland Pines Resort, North Home Resort, Pine-Vue Resort and Callahan Lake Resort). Despite all the natural beauty, the early settlers found life difficult as the winter months were brutal. Most homes were poorly insulated and the crude, undeveloped land was a challenge. The Chippewa Flowage gained attention on Oct. 20, 1949 when Louis Spray registered the world’s largest musky he reeled in at 69 pounds, 11 ounces. The interest in fishing continued to grow and is strong today.
Over the years, homes were built around the lake and now total more than 100, though development is somewhat limited by the Callahan-Mud Lake State Wildlife Management Area that surrounds the shores of Mud Lake. Many families are now on their third generation of visiting our treasured spot in the Northwoods.
About the Callahan/Mud Lake Protective Association (CMLPA)
The purpose of the Callahan/Mud Lake Protective Association (CMLPA), Inc. is to preserve and protect both lakes (Callahan-Mud) and their surroundings and to enhance the water quality, fishery, boating safety and environmental values of Callahan and Mud Lakes as public recreational facilities for today and for future generations. Also, the protection of the aesthetic and physical properties of both lakes for today and for future generations is a goal of the association.
The CMLPA was formed in the early 2000s when it became apparent to the residents of Callahan and Mud Lakes that invasive Eurasian Milfoil was becoming a serious problem. Parts of the lakes were overgrown with it and becoming unnavigable. Over the years, the CMLPA has received DNR grants to mitigate the milfoil problem. With the grants plus the membership dues we were able to collect, we made excellent progress in fighting this problem.
How to Get Involved
Membership in the CMLPA is voluntary but encouraged by all residents and others visiting the lake. Paid members are able to vote at Association meetings, which are held on the Saturdays of Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day weekends, as well as other times as advertised. Membership is only $50 and helps fund conservation and educational programs.
From the CMLPA President
It was 1955 and our entire family – aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents – decided to venture to northwest Wisconsin from our residence in the south side of Chicago (Go White Sox) for a two-week family vacation. I was 11 years old and me and my three cousins were so excited. It was a 12-hour trip on a two-lane road. We left at 4 am, me in the back seat with a dozen comics that I finished by the time we were north of the city. We stopped at a drive-in for hamburgers, and I vividly remember my dad swearing at every car for one thing or another.
We reached Pine Vue Resort on Callahan Lake, run by the Walkey family, by late afternoon. I still have my t-shirt from that summer hanging in a frame on my wall. The four cabins had cathedral ceilings with 8-foot dividing walls. The rest of the cabin was empty, and there were drapes for doors and a pump in the sink. Each cabin had an outhouse. Later on, Stu Walkey added a “regular” bathroom to each house that you had to enter from the outside. The cousins and I had a ball with the outhouses.
The best part was the fishing. We fished from a wooden row boat with an Elgin 6.5hp outboard motor that must have weighed 500 pounds. It had a pull start gas tank.
The lake(s) hasn’t changed much from then to now. The shore outline is pretty much the same. In terms of fish, the lake had all the fish we enjoy today, except there were no northerns – they came later when they flooded the river from the Tiger Cat Flowage. We caught some nice Walleyes in those early years.
There were three resorts in those days – two on the South Shore (both still there today) and one on the Northshore down by the dam. Another resort was added on the north shore, directly across from the Woodhaven Resort. The resorts changed hands several times, with the ones on the north shore eventually closing down and becoming private residences. But, there are a few cabins that are still around today! I bought my lot in 1972 and built my cabin in 1978, performing all the work myself except for plumbing, electrical and masonry.
The times I spent during my youth and on into my adult years on Callahan (and Mud) have been amazing. I caught my first Musky at age 15, saw my first loon nest, watched the Eagles grab fish – these are things you don’t forget. I have fond memories of rowing for my dad when I was young and he’d cast and cast, though he never did catch a musky. The last 62 years of memories on this lake are a gift. I have a million stories and will tell anyone who will listen. Stop by – the coffee is always hot.
– Denny Toll, President 2023