Turtle Flambeau Flowage Advice or Insight?

Hello everyone,

I’m well aware that we have an existing Turtle Flambeau Flowage thread on here but the most recent post on there dates back multiple years. Keeping that in mind, I am making a trip to camp on an island up there starting next Wednesday, will be my first time on the body of water. So if anyone has any sort of direction for early June on the TFF I would greatly appreciate any sort of help. I’d be more than happy to share what I learn with you directly after our trip. What I know/have heard thus far. The walleyes run on the smaller side but are fairly plentiful, and it is a sleeper location for some pretty big panfish, I heard the panfish bite out there tends to be very good in winter. We were hoping to hit the crappie/bluegill spawn but given the hot weather thinking that is out for the year. We typically target panfish and walleyes. Again anything you would be willing to offer is awesome. Thanks in advance. If you would rather not post, feel free to p.m.

Never fished it but everyone says go slow. Lots of rocks and stumps.

That is most useful, I have a gamin with lake-vu maps as well as a lakemaster wi chip in a bird but I know those maps are certainly no infallible. Thanks for the tip.

PM sent and go slow on that body of water.

For general info, local guides Jeff Robl posts reports on Lake Link pretty often and Don Pemble on Outdoors911. We have an RV site at one of the resorts on Lake Bastine but we camped the islands for several years before we bought it. What launch are you going out of?

We were thinking of landing at either Fisherman’s or Springstead, we had planned on finding a campsite in the “middle” of the system so we would be somewhat equidistant from everything. My initial thought process was to camp closer to the river portion of the flowage as the walleye are probably more likely to be in that neck of the woods making their way back from spawning grounds. However, the group said we should camp in the middle so all options are open for our 4 days up there.

Weedless jigs seem to be the popular presentation up there.I would think if you find some weeds you would find some gills.I would also think pitching jigs with bait or plastics around shoreline wood would get you some bass.

I fished it with a guide once a few years ago and everything said earlier about going slow is right on and I would even suggest have an extra prop on hand.

I’ve been going up there for 50 years, and this STILL happens!

X2 on the Don Pemble and/or Jeff Robl recommendations. $$$ well spent.

HRG

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Definitely go slow, like at idle, if you haven’t been there. There are tree “stumps” just below the surface in up to 15-18′ of water all over the place. Some stick out, many do not. Stay in the channel when you’re traveling in the river arm. If you go left out of Springstead to the wide open main lake area you can drift jigs tipped with crawlers or large fatheads. This area is called Beaver Flats. The guy in the camper next to ours does that mostly and does pretty well. I prefer to pitch a weedless jig and minnow around wood structure all up and down the river arm. We always launched out of Springstead and getting there on a Wed is always a good idea. I was up last weekend and the mosquitoes and black flies were as bad as I’ve seen them already. Straight out from Fisherman’s landing is a cool island complex with a campsite in a protected little bay. We caught a bit of everything around the wood in there last time we camped there in June. Good luck.

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Thanks for all the wisdom, I will be keeping the alumacraft off of plane permanently then from the sounds of it. Do not want to do irreparable damage before the trip up to Lac Seul after TFF. Will post a report on how we do once I return. Again, appreciate everyone contributing to the thread.

I think the crappie are spawned out by now but the gills should be in the shallow weedy areas. Nice size to them on the TFF. I’ll be up for the weekend while you’re there so if you’re up the Turtle River arm and you see an Alumacraft Edge with a 150 Vmax SHO on it with a 50-ish fat couple in it feel free to stop over and say hi. Have fun.
Had some great days on Lac Seul over the years myself. Hope you do well. Had 200 walleye between three people in six hours there one day. Pretty much one every cast. I’m going up to Eagle Lake, ON the week of 6/20. I know that lake a lot better and only fished Lac Seul a few times with a guide.