Contacts: Anglers All, (715) 682-5754; Outdoor Allure, (715) 373-0551 or OutdoorAllure.com; Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce, 1-800-284-9484, or online at VisitAshland.com; Big Top Chautauqua, 1-888-BIG-TENT or BigTop.org.

EAGLE RIVER CHAIN
The Eagle River Chain consists of 28 lakes, 11 of them on the lower chain below Burnt Rollways Dam, and 17 on the upper chain, which is also called the Three Lakes Chain. All of them harbor panfish, walleyes and muskies. The lower chain has more resorts and visitors. The upper chain is quieter and has a greater variety of fishing opportunities. All told, there are about 100 resorts on the two chains and numerous campgrounds as well.

On the upper chain, try Scattering Rice Lake for crappies and muskies. On the lower chain, Yellow Birch, Voyageur, Catfish and Cranberry are good panfish, walleye and muskie lakes. The deep weeds on Eagle -- the deepest lake on the chain -- are a good bet for walleyes and muskies.

Waterskiing, boating and sight-seeing are popular pastimes for visitors here, in addition to the great fishing. The hub city of Eagle River is home to the season-long Vilas County Muskie Marathon and many other tournaments. Festivals, parades, sidewalk sales and golf courses round out the fun.

Contacts: Eagle River Chamber of Commerce, 1-800-359-6315 or at Eagle-River.com; Eagle Sports Center, (715) 479-8804 or at EagleSportsCenter.com.

WAUPACA CHAIN
Located just south of the city of Waupaca, the Waupaca Chain of Lakes is a string of 22 pearls ranging from two to 115 acres.

These waters are clear, and chock-full of bass, crappies and bluegills. Pleasure boaters throng to the larger lakes on summer weekends, but some of the lakes have a permanent no-wake speed limit. A public landing on Taylor Lake provides access to 15 of the lakes on the lower end of the chain. The upper lakes are accessible to canoes and small boats at a landing on Knight Lake off Knight Lane.

By mid-June, bass have moved out to deep weed edges, but you'll still find bluegills spawning in the shallows, where your kids can catch them on small jigs and plastics or live bait. Later in summer, crappies and bluegills suspend over deep water. Slip-bobbers and small jigs or live-bait rigs will take them. Sunken islands and underwater points also provide fish-holding structure.

The Waupaca area caters to family vacations, with riding stables, golf courses, and canoe and tube rentals on the popular Crystal River.

Contacts: Waupaca Area Chamber of Commerce, 1-888-417-4040, or go to WaupacaaareaChamber.com; Ding's Dock (cottages, boat, canoe and tube rentals), (715) 258-2612 or DingsDock.com.

WOLF RIVER COUNTRY
Just east of Waupaca, the Fremont area offers another change-of-pace vacation. Here, you can choose between the Wolf River and sprawling Lake Poygan. Or, why not choose them both!

The Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest covers about 30,000 acres just an hour northwest of Milwaukee in Washington, Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties. The entire forest is open to hiking and exploring, and there are two main recreation areas: Mauthe Lake and Long Lake.