Turtle Flambeau Crappie/Smallmouth

[drob7]

We have 4-8 fisherman coming up July 4-11, 2009. We are looking for a cheap place to stay. Don't need much, place for our boats, place to shower and sleep with A/C, and place to clean fish. We want to stay on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage. Most of us are after big smallies, however, my Dad who is 67, really likes to catch crappie. Any suggestions? Thanks. Dusty from Lafayette, Indiana.

[Zeke]

I'll take a shot at this one. I don't know much about accomadations but would recommend the Lake Bastien area. As for the fishing, it's simple call guide Don Pemble.

[George]

Well, cheap is relative. But here's a great place that meets your criteria for amenities.

Donner's Bay
2974 N Hiawatha Road, Butternut, WI 54514

(715) 476-2555

[George G]

I will second George's suggestion for "Donners Bay", Porky is the new owner but all remains the same, as we all know Porky was a long time customer there and so he has kept everything the same. Great Place to be at. Then if you want something more than their great pizza's, you can saddle up and drive maybe 3 miles to the Midway and have some great food prepared by Shane and Molly, again great people . Enjoy your trip on the flowage and yes, Don Pemble is a very good guide that you will learn a lot from . Well worth the investment in his time with you.

[Flambeau Vista Retreat LLC]

Please look at www.turtlefambeauflowage.com for a listing of accomodations on the flowage. Most have web sites with photos and information about their cabins. Most don't have A/C as it is rarely needed. You are coming to the right place if you want some great smallmouth and crappie fishing, along with some bonus walleye and musky. Scott www.flambeauvista.com

[DonH]

Donner's Bay is a very nice place, with a full bar for beers, drinks, or some pizza. Can be pretty busy and stay open quite late...I know this for a fact!

On the other hand, if you desire real peace and quiet, Cry of the Loon Resort is a great place to stay. No bar, so at night, all you hear are the loons. It's in the Lake Bastine area. We stay here a lot and if we want to meet some people and share some stories, we hop in the car and drive the couple miles to Donners.

Cry of the Loon (Ken and Audrey) - 715-476-2502

[drob7]

Thank you guys very much for the suggestions. We are really looking forward to this. What do you think about the possibility of catching decent crappie during that week we will be there?

[Paul Rothenberger]

The TFF is not a crappie lake really, although they can be real trophies when you get them. If he likes using bobbers or small crappie lures such as beetle spins, the fishing action should be good for him. He can catch perch, walleyes, northerns, rock bass, and small mouth bass all while pursuing crappies. If he gets a crappie it could be a monster. I have seen 14" to 16" crappies on the flowage. The perch are very big when compared to most lakes and can be caught on most crappie techniques. Enjoy the flowage it is a real special place.

Paul

[camop]

the tff may be one of the best spots to catch smallies anywhere. they arent hard to find and its common to catch them up to 5 pounds. i rarely hear about too many crappies being caught though. the hideaway in mercer is a nice place to look into, its right on the flowage