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Turtle-Flambeau Flowage Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Wisconsin’s wilderness inland sea: 14,000 flooded acres of islands, stumps and walleye water that still feels like 1926.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
79 / 81 F
Wind
W 1 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Turtle-Flambeau Flowage sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind W around 1 mph, falling pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 81. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Yellow perchGood

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Similar at 78 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp79 F
High / Low81 / 66 F
WindW 1-9 mph
Pressure1010.9 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain5% cloud, 37%
Sunrise / Sunset06:25 / 19:33
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 81/66 F, wind 10 mph, rain 37%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Turtle-Flambeau Flowage: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Smallmouth bass
Muskellunge
Walleye
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Turtle-Flambeau Flowage today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 83 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 84 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 12 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Wisconsin requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Wisconsin license. Walleye slot and muskie minimums specific to the flowage: check current WDNR rules. Island camping is first-come, no reservations.

Access

Springstead Landing off Highway FF, Fisherman’s Landing, and Murray’s Landing: plus carry-in sites for paddlers.

About this water

A 13,545-acre wild flowage of the Turtle and Flambeau rivers, Iron County, Wisconsin: state-owned shoreline, island camping, flooded-timber structure.

Fishing Turtle-Flambeau Flowage: the full guide

The crown jewel flowage

When the Turtle and Flambeau rivers were dammed in 1926, the water drowned sixteen lakes into one sprawling 14,000-acre flowage, and the state has kept its shores wild ever since: state-owned, undeveloped, and managed as Wisconsin’s closest thing to Boundary Waters fishing. Stained water, standing timber, boulder reefs and no shoreline lights: the walleye, smallmouth, muskie and crappie fishery underneath matches the setting.

Walleye in the stain

Walleye are the flowage’s bread: jig the river channels and rock bars in 6-12 feet through spring, slide to the deeper wood and mid-lake humps in summer with leeches and crawlers, and return shallow with fall’s cooling water. The tea stain keeps fish active in daylight: overcast days fish all day long. Slot regulations protect the breeders: expect to release the middle class and keep eaters.

Muskie, smallmouth and slabs

This is serious muskie water: bucktails and rubber over the bars and weed edges from June, suckers over the deep wood in October for the fish of the season. Smallmouth own the boulder shorelines: topwater mornings can be absurd in June. Crappie winter in the deep timber basins and stack shallow in May: find wood in eight feet and you have found them.

Wilderness logistics

Ramps at Springstead, Fisherman’s and Murray’s landings serve the main basins: navigation among the stumps rewards charts, daylight and humility. The famous adventure is the paddle-and-camp circuit: 60-plus first-come campsites on the islands, most accessible only by water. Cell service is spotty, resorts cluster on the east side, and Mercer is the supply town. The quiet is enforced by geography.

Common questions

Is it good for a canoe-camping fishing trip?

It is the model for one in Wisconsin: paddle out, claim an island, and fish walleye water no cabin lights touch. Reserve nothing: arrive early in July.

How do I not hit a stump?

Run the marked channels, keep speed honest in unfamiliar bays, and treat every dark patch as wood. Locals idle more than they plane.

What makes it different from other flowages?

Protection: the state owns the shore and manages the fishery conservatively, so it fishes like the north woods of a century ago.

Is fishing good at Turtle-Flambeau Flowage right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Lake Gogebic41 miChippewa Flowage54 miLac Courte Oreilles61 miNamekagon River62 miOntonagon River63 miBois Brule River75 mi
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