Hello Everyone!

[NateDykes]

Hey guys!
Its great to see the ice has cleared already, should be some good fishing on the opener!
anyways, im new to both this site and fishing near mercer wi. I am headed up to turtle flambeau flowage this june and i have no idea where to start with the research. I have done a little on the basics. Just curious, should i look to fish in any certain area? Im thinking about camping more toward the south of the flowage, any smallmouth/walleye down there? And what is the forage base up there?

thanks in advance!

[DV17MAG]

Your going to love it no matter what part you vist. There are fish every where in TFF. Catching them is easy.Start by using a slip bobber with half crawler on wind blown weed edges. A fathead on a weedless jig on weed edges or secondary drop offs or mid lake humps. These always produce fish for me and are go to techniques when the wife is in the boat. Last 4th of July 1pm with bright blue skies got our limit of eyes in 10 min. Also make sure you pack some husky jerks (the biggest size that still only has 2 trebles) or flicker shads(5m or bigger) Make sure they have ORANGE bellys. Work them over rock for dumb bass, or at low light times for eyes. If these tips don't get you a fish I'll take you out myself next year! Have little guy due this June! Won't get much fishing in this year. Good luck! Jay

[Musky Mauler]

Just be sure to get a copy of Wisconsin fishing regs. Remember that trolling is illegal on the Flowage. Also, the new regs will come out at the end of this month of March. Keep in mind that sometimes the Flowage is subject to having a different walleye limit than other lakes in Wisconsin. It has to do with Indian treaties that were made long ago, but recently upheld in the courts. It might be that the walleye limit in the regs will be shown as three. But, somewhere therein will be an exception that states that the limit in the Flowage is two. Keep a sharp eye for similar restrictions in the new regs. They'll be listed under the subject of "Ceded Territories." Muskies might also have a different size limit in the Flowage compared to the size limit in other lakes. Be careful of that one, too. Unfortunately, there has not yet been discovered an ointment that can prevent "Turtle Flambeau Flowage-itis." Once you're here, you'll become infected, and the magic of the Flowage will cause you to want to come back again, and again, and again. Remember now, you've been forewarned - - -

[DonH]

Myself and the group I go to the TFF with primarily fish the southern parts of the flowage. Been going up there since 1960, and camped in those areas for years. DV17MAG says to buy some Flicker Shads, and he's right. We've had great luck with them. Other baits to really consider - Hot n' Tots (small size, my favorite color is silver, but I have at least 30 of them in many colors), #7 Shad Raps (Perch is a good color, again I have at least 30 of these in many colors), Wally Divers, and my favotite the 1/8 oz jig with a 4" Twister tail. My favorite color is white head, white body, but I mix and match also. Chattreuse or yellow are also good colors for both head and body. Most of the water you'll fish is 12' or shallower. Deeper water, go to a 1/4 oz jig. I have mine specially made with a long shank hook to get the hook farther back into the grub.

The beauty of the jig is depth control. The #7 Shad Rad runs at a certain depth and is an awesome bait when in the right depth of water. With a jig, I can bring it in shallow, I can slow it down to fish it deeper, just don't get in the habit of bouncing it on the bottom as you'll spend all day tying on new jigs. Lot of stuff down there. I try to run a jig within a foot or two of the bottom most of the time.

Good Luck and enjoy the TFF. It's my favorite place in the entire world. I had a friend who went to Europe last year with his wife to tour some castles. I asked him "why, the walleye fishing sucks in Europe".

[NateDykes]

Thanks a lot guys, i really appreciate the help. I cannot wait to get up there, these next 2 months will go by so slow! Anyways, thanks a ton for the help. I will certainly buy all of those! is there a bait shop up there that i could buy all of this stuff at? And Don, do you hit the mud flat out there or do you go for the humps and islands? im still not sure what kind of structure to look for, although i have heard a lot about the wood. Anyways, thanks a bunch!

[DonH]

This flowage is loaded with structure. The wind is a huge determiner of fishing success. If it's blowing, the place can light up and stay lit all day. We will hit rocky shorelines or rocky areas where the waves are pounding on those windy days.

We'll always spend some time in the area known as Beaver Flats. The depth is fairly constant (Flats) so it's easy to fish and can be a very productive area. This is usually a Hot n' Tot or #7 Shad Rap area, but if the water is down, Bomber Model Long A's are a fantastic bait. Since the depth is fairly constant, we'll also float a slip bobber behind the boat if it's not too windy with a jumbo leech. A couple of years ago, late one morning 5 guys nailed 15 really nice walleyes here in about 30 minutes. All caught casting.

It's a big body of water, but don't be intimidated. Start a drift anywhere, keep track of the depth, use a lure that runs at the right depth, and you can nail a walleye. Same goes for smallmouth, but on those windy days I mentioned, the rocky shorelines are God's country.

Enjoy the TFF and have a ball.

[the other andy]

In my experience I've found that,
any idiot can catch bass on the rocks
any idiot can catch bass in the stumps
any idiot can catch pike in weeds
combine any of the two structures and any idiot can catch walleyes
combine all 3 and any skilled, resourceful and persistent angler can catch a muskie.

Stay mobile but be thorough for walleyes. And don't bother fishing deeper than 12 feet unless you absolutely have to.
good luck.

[NateDykes]

Thanks a lot! don, i have heard of beaver flats and that was what i was referring to as the flats.Thanks for reminding me! I really appreciate everything guys, you all are the best!