Camping of the Turtle Flambeau Flowage

I camped on this Flowage a couple of summers ago and I am planning a trip in early June. How crowded will the flowage be in early June? Last time the flies were very bad. Will they be better in early June than they were in late July? If I get there on a Sunday night will I get an open spot quickly? I would ask about the fishing, but people got mad at me last time I did that!

I will be heading up there for the first time this june. Plan on staying in the southern part of the lake near Beaver Flats. I will be camping on an island as well. Any fishing tips? Anyone know the best camping site down there? Anything is greatly appreciated. Thank you, Travis

Alaska,

I agree with Straydog, Springstead Landing is probably the best and has the most parking. I would suggest that you get a good lake map and, if possible, a GPS unit that will help you to find your way around.

Also, spend some time on the DNR web site for the TFF - lots of really good info about the area and about what is allowed and not allowed. The DNR map of the TFF shows all camp sites and is a good starting point. The link is :

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/facilities/turtleflambeau/index.html.

Also, use caution when navigating on the TFF - lots of hazards, rock bars, stumps, floating logs, etc.

Tight Lines !!

Tom502

Alaska, The landing at Springstead on the south side of the flowage is a good one, with good ramps, lots of spots and is a good one to park your rig when camping. I forget which Hwy it is off of, but it is the major highway east out of Park Falls. My advice would be to camp on an island. Lots of island spots, and most maps of the flowage have them marked. If not, just motor up to an island and look around for a site, as they are first come, first served. Most islands only have one spot, so you will likely have your own private island, which is cool. When my wife and I camped out there the first time, we took our dog and let her have the whole island as a giant playpen. What a blast. A black and gold countdown rapala will catch everything on the flowage, you will lose a few lures, though. Have fun, hope this helps.

I am headed up to the turtle Flambeau with my wife right after memorial day. Any recommendations on what is a must see or due on the lake. I am taking my wife who has never camped, loves to fish, loves eagles and osprey, bears and moose. We will have my 20' almar jet boat (minus the jet drive) and will fish for walleyes, crappie, northerns and Muskie. Campsite selection and boat landing would be appreciated. Any other information appreciated also Thanks in advance. Mike

what a good time it is to do this. bugs are bad but if you had spray you were fine. fishing was good despite conditions. we found the fish on windblown stump and weed fields. also drifted some cribs and picked up fish. thanks to everyone that gave me some advice. we camped at D27 and it was nice and sheltered from wind. lots of windblown sites were open. great body of water and great time up there. will be doing this again later this year!

I talked to my brother in Mercer yesterday. He said mosquitoes and ticks are horrendous! Be prepared!

leaving thursday nite late. weather should cooperate this weekend. cant wait!!

thanks for all the information guys it is really helpful. i will let u know how we do. we are going to get wood right in mercer.

Dances with Eyes,l I have been there twice, both times with almost the exact rig you have except a 20 rather than 25 horse. Check the wind, and don't overload the boat. The waves can be amazing. My wife and I almost swamped it loaded down with tents, gas, firewood etc. Be careful. We went out in a big basin by Rat Lake area, and it can get real windy with no protection.

Have fun, it is a beautiful flowage.

Good point! We've got signs all over the place warning people about that nasty bug down around Appleton. I'm sure you can find plenty of places to buy firewood up there, but if you've got the time, turn off 51 on M, then take N and follow the signs for the Crystal Lake campground. They always had the biggest bundles of firewood, and last time up it was $5 each or 3 for $10. The campground at North Trout Lake (off M a bit further east) also has wood, but the bundles seemed smaller. Actually now that I think about it, I think you need to be staying at one of the State campgrounds in order to be able to buy wood from there, so best bet would be to check around Mercer for wood. I'm sure there's plenty of it.

Sorry for the rambling. Just got all excited about an area I loved to visit. Darn gas

You better check on the regulations on bringing in firewood from out of the area. With the Emerald Ash Borer problems I believe they have restrictions on moving firewood more than 50 miles.

nope no skiing or tubing all we have is a 14 footer with a 25 merc on it so we will be fishing and sitting around the campfire. hoping to get a site where you can sit around the fire and watch slip bobbers at the same time that would be ideal. getting more and more excited as the days go by.

I went up there for a weekend back in '98 I believe, and we camped on one of the islands. It was pretty cool to do that, knowing there wasn't anyone else around us. Fishing wasn't great by any stretch, but that was in late August, and we were limited to where we could go since the motor was acting up. I would imagine earlier in the season it would be better (certainly couldn't be much worse). I'd love to go back there, but gas prices are keeping me closer to home.

Word of caution...lots of stumps, so be wary when motoring around. Definitely not a skiing/tubing lake unless you know it well.

Good luck and let us know how it went!

coming up in 2 weeks for the first time. really looking forward to seeing the natural beauty of my state and get the kids on some fish. anybody have any comments about camping/ fishing/stuff about the flowage this year, feel free to share thoughts. cant wait and will post how we do. thanks and tight lines.

Forget the live bait, use bettlespins or those small little fat raps guarentee a walleye limit. Got to hit the reifs before and into dark.

Most of the sites are usally open this time of year have been fishing the first week of june up there for 12 years now.