Wolf River

The Wolf River at New London is a wide, gentle waterway that defines the character of the city and provides most of its recreational activity. In summer the river is used for fishing — walleye, northern pike, and bass are the main species — and for tubing, canoeing, and kayaking. Several local outfitters rent equipment and can suggest put-in and take-out points along the river.

In winter, when the river freezes, ice fishing shanties appear on the surface in organised lines, and New London becomes a destination for the hardy anglers who consider sitting in a heated hut over a hole in the ice to be an entirely acceptable way to spend a weekend. The Embarrass River joins the Wolf here, doubling the water and the fishing opportunities.

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A story
The Embarrass River, which joins the Wolf at New London, gets its name from the French word "embarrasser" — to block or obstruct — a reference to the tangles of driftwood and fallen trees that early French voyageurs found impeded canoe travel on its upper reaches. The Wolf River itself was a major route for the fur trade, and New London grew as a portage point where goods were transferred between river and wagon road.

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