The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage is a lake in
Iron County, Wisconsin. It has a maximum depth of 15 meters and is the seventh largest lake in the state of Wisconsin by surface area. The flowage is home to unique wetland patterns and plant species as well as several species of sport and game fish, including
Musky,
Panfish,
Largemouth Bass
The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...
,
Smallmouth Bass,
Northern Pike
The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...
,
Walleye
The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...
and
Sturgeon
Sturgeon is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretace ...
. The lake's water clarity is low, but can vary in different locations in the lake. Fishing, camping, boating, and hunting are popular activities on the flowage, and
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
people traditionally harvest fish and game on the lake. Environmental concerns on the flowage include mercury contamination, algal blooms, and several types of invasive species.
Origins and history
The region which became the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage was originally a mix of forest,
glades,
kettle lakes, and rivers.
The area was originally part of the
drainage system for the
Flambeau River
The Flambeau River is a tributary of the Chippewa River in northern Wisconsin, United States. The Chippewa is in turn a tributary of the upper Mississippi River. The Flambeau drains an area of and descends from an elevation of approximately ...
.
The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage was created in 1926 when the ''Chippewa and Flambeau Improvement Company'' built a dam on the
Flambeau River
The Flambeau River is a tributary of the Chippewa River in northern Wisconsin, United States. The Chippewa is in turn a tributary of the upper Mississippi River. The Flambeau drains an area of and descends from an elevation of approximately ...
downstream from its confluence with the Turtle River. The dam flooded 16 natural lakes and formed an impoundment of approximately .
The flowage was constructed as a reservoir to augment river flows and sustain
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
plants operated downstream by electric utilities and paper mills. The dam also provided flood protection and created a unique recreational resource.
Characteristics
Geography
The flowage's watershed covers nearly 640 square kilometers in Iron and
Vilas Counties. 47% of the basin is forested, with another 33% covered by wetlands (including the Turtle-Flambeau Patterned Bog State Natural Area
) and 19% covered by open water. Human land use is relatively sparse; agriculture, urban, and suburban areas combined make up less than 1% of the land use in the watershed.
[Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (2014). "Flambeau Flowage Watershed 2014 Water Quality Management Plan Update." http://dnr.wi.gov/water/wsSWIMSDocument.ashx?documentSeqNo=117706025]
Geology
The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage, like much of
Iron County Iron County is the name of four counties in the United States:
*Iron County, Michigan
*Iron County, Missouri
*Iron County, Utah
*Iron County, Wisconsin
Iron County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, t ...
lies on top of a large
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
formation from the
Archean eon. Soil
Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...
s are generally
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...
y, due to the presence of post-glaciation old growth
coniferous forests
Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extant ...
. The majority of exposed rock formations in the area were either gouged, carved, or deposited by receding
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
s.
The flowage's basin is made up of approximately 45% sand, 30% gravel, 15% muck, and 10% rock.
Hydrology
The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage is a drainage lake (a lake where the majority of
discharge
Discharge may refer to
Expel or let go
* Discharge, the act of firing a gun
* Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer
* Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...
is to outgoing rivers).
It is fed by several rivers including the
Flambeau River
The Flambeau River is a tributary of the Chippewa River in northern Wisconsin, United States. The Chippewa is in turn a tributary of the upper Mississippi River. The Flambeau drains an area of and descends from an elevation of approximately ...
and
Turtle River. The flowage discharges at the Turtle Dam into the
Flambeau River
The Flambeau River is a tributary of the Chippewa River in northern Wisconsin, United States. The Chippewa is in turn a tributary of the upper Mississippi River. The Flambeau drains an area of and descends from an elevation of approximately ...
. Discharge from the dam is monitored by
Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy Inc. is an American utility holding company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serving more than 3.7 million electric customers and 2.1 million natural gas customers in Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico in 2019. It consists of four oper ...
, which operates several power stations on the Flambeau River downstream of the flowage. The dam's average discharge is 20 cubic meters per second; however, it varies greatly based on lake water levels and the energy company's hydroelectric needs.
While the flowage's irregular nature makes it difficult to determine an average depth or volume, these determinations can be made for some of the old lake basins flooded by the dam.
Former lakes that were inundated during the flowage's formation include:
The inundation of these lakes gives the flowage its irregular shape, with a shoreline development index of 12.91.
Roughly 35% of the reservoir's surface area is made up of former lake basins; the rest is made up of shallow riverine and transition zones.
Water quality
Water quality varies among the flowage's several basins (former lake beds), with Baraboo having the best overall water quality and Townline the worst. While some basins (including Townline) resemble
eutrophic lake
The Trophic State Index (TSI) is a classification system designed to rate water bodies based on the amount of biological productivity they sustain. Although the term "trophic index" is commonly applied to lakes, any surface water body may be ind ...
s, others such as Baraboo are more accurately defined as
mesotrophic. The reservoir is a productive and healthy lake with a
water visibility going down approx. 1.5 m (5 feet) in the summer.
The flowage is a
holomictic lake
Holomictic lakes are lakes that have a uniform temperature and density from surface to bottom at a specific time during the year, which allows the lake waters to mix in the absence of stratification.
Details
Holomictic lakes mix at least occasi ...
which develops a single
thermocline of productive with productive water above and depleted water below.
File:Chla TFFcomp.jpg, Comparison of chlorophyll ''a'' levels in Baraboo and Townline basins of the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage
File:SecchiTFF.jpg, Comparison of Secchi depth in Baraboo and Townline basins of the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage
File:TPcomp TFF.jpg, Comparison of total phosphorus levels in Baraboo and Townline basins of the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage
File:DoCompBarTow.jpg, Comparison of dissolved oxygen vs depth measurements in Baraboo and Townline basins of the Turtle-Flambeau flowage
File:TempCompBarTow.jpg, Comparison of temperature vs depth measurements in Baraboo and Townline basins of the Turtle-Flambeau flowage
Wildlife
Flora
While trees surrounding a body of water may not live in the lake: they may still affect lake levels. Through the process of
transpiration
Transpiration is the process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts, such as leaves, stems and flowers. Water is necessary for plants but only a small amount of water taken up by the roots is used for growth a ...
,
tree root
In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the sur ...
s pull water found in moist
shoreline: lowering the amount of water available in lake.
This rate of water collection is not even across all Wisconsin species. Trees endemic to
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
s such as the
White Cedar White cedar may refer to several different trees:
* Bignoniaceae
** ''Tabebuia heterophylla'' - native to Caribbean islands and also cultivated as an ornamental tree
* Cupressaceae:
** ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' – Atlantic white cypress
** ''Cup ...
are more efficient at transporting water in their
sap
Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.
Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separa ...
than upland trees such as the
Red Pine or
Sugar Maple.
The patterned bog in the southeast of the lake is a
minerotrophic Minerotrophic refers to environments that receive nutrients primarily through groundwater that flows through mineral-rich soils or rock,Environment Canada (2014). Ontario wetland evaluation system: Northern Manual, 1st edition, version 3.2. Queen’ ...
peatland with peat ridges separating water-filled hollows. This type of
string bog
A string bog or string mire is a bog consisting of slightly elevated ridges and islands, with woody plants, alternating with flat, wet sedge mat areas. String bogs occur on slightly sloping surfaces, with the ridges at right angles to the directio ...
is rare in Wisconsin.
Rare plant species present in the bog include sparse-flowered
sedge
The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...
(''C. tenuiflora''), dragon's mouth
orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
(''A. bulbosa''), and white bog orchid (''P. dilatata'').
Fauna
The lake is home to a wide variety of animals. Native fish include
Musky,
Panfish,
Largemouth Bass
The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...
,
Smallmouth Bass,
Northern Pike
The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...
,
Walleye
The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...
and
Sturgeon
Sturgeon is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretace ...
. Four water access points on the flowage also serve as
fish stocking sites, with a fifth at the nearby Lake of the Falls impoundment. Reptiles include
snapping turtles and
painted turtle
The painted turtle (''Chrysemys picta'') is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. They have been shown to prefer l ...
s. The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage is also prime habitat for
loon
Loons (North American English) or divers (British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family Gaviidae and order Gavi ...
s and features the largest concentration of
eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
and
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
breeding pairs in Wisconsin.
Mammal species found living in and around the flowage include
river otter,
beaver
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...
,
black bear, and
white-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
. Deer
grazing
In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to roam around and consume wild vegetations in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by human gut) cellulose within grass and other ...
in the area is heavy enough to threaten the regeneration of the area's
conifers
Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extan ...
.
Environmental concerns
Mercury
Significant levels of
methylmercury
Methylmercury (sometimes methyl mercury) is an organometallic cation with the formula . It is the simplest organomercury compound. Methylmercury is extremely toxic, and its derivatives are the major source of organic mercury for humans. It is a ...
have been found in
walleye
The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...
tissue in both the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage and other reservoirs in
Oneida
Oneida may refer to:
Native American/First Nations
* Oneida people, a Native American/First Nations people and one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy
* Oneida language
* Oneida Indian Nation, based in New York
* Oneida Na ...
,
Sawyer
*A sawyer (occupation) is someone who saws wood.
*Sawyer, a fallen tree stuck on the bottom of a river, where it constitutes a danger to boating.
Places in the United States
Communities
*Sawyer, Kansas
*Sawyer, Kentucky
* Sawyer, Michigan
* Saw ...
, and Vilas counties. Walleye are harvested as a traditional food source for the
Lake Superior Chippewa
The Lake Superior Chippewa (Anishinaabe: Gichigamiwininiwag) are a large number of Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) bands living around Lake Superior; this territory is considered part of northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in the United States. They ...
, and the
bioaccumulation
Bioaccumulation is the gradual accumulation of substances, such as pesticides or other chemicals, in an organism. Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a substance at a rate faster than that at which the substance is lost or eliminated ...
of mercury in these fish increases the risk of harmful exposure to humans.
[Groetsch, et al. (2003). " Investigations into Walleye Mercury Concentrations related to Long-Standing Reservoirs' Water Quality, Wetlands and Federal Energy Regulatory Licensed Dam Operation." Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. http://data.glifwc.org/archive.bio/Project%20Report%2003-02.pdf] Wetlands are a major source of methylmercury in boreal forest environments, and the variable discharge from flowage dams can increase methylmercury exposures in reservoirs.
The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage was declared impaired due to mercury contamination by the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in 2002,
and a fish consumption warning has been in effect since 2009.
Algae
Additional impairments include high levels of
phosphorus
Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...
and
chlorophyll a, indicators of elevated
algal
Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...
growth.
The
Mercer
Mercer may refer to:
Business
* Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925)
* Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City
* Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader ...
wastewater treatment plant, which discharges into the Little Turtle River, may provide some of the phosphorus input; nearby Mercer Lake suffers from algal blooms during periods of high discharge from the plant.
However,
tannin
Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.
The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', ...
-stained runoff from surrounding wetlands decreases light penetration in the flowage, reducing the potential impact of harmful algal blooms in comparison to other area lakes.
Invasive species
Faucet snail
The
faucet snail (''Bithynia tentaculata'') is an invasive aquatic snail from Europe. It outcompetes local species of snail throughout the Great Lakes region.
This snail has been observed in Spider Lake, a tributary of the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage.
Purple loosestrife
Purple loosestrife, native to Asia, Europe, northwest Africa, and southeastern Australia, is an invasive species in Wisconsin. It has been observed in 445 lakes and rivers in Wisconsin, including the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage. The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage & Trude Lake Property Owners Association monitors purple loosestrife around the flowage. They conduct annual surveys and maintain a map displaying locations where the plant has been spotted.
Spiny waterflea
The
spiny waterflea (''Bythotrephes longimanus'') is a prodigious
arthropod
Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...
predator that is a concern in much of the Great Lakes region.
The spiny waterflea eats many native
zooplankton
Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...
, competing with native fish larvae; however due to their large spined tails they are less often consumed by larger fish. Although it has not been identified in the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage, the waterflea has been observed in nearby lakes such as Butternut Lake (
Forest County WI) and the Gile Flowage (
Iron County WI). This species could be unintentionally spread to the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage by way of contaminated
hulls or
bilge tanks from boats, or on contaminated
fishing line.
Monitoring
Some lake management activities are undertaken by the ''Turtle-Flambeau Flowage & Trude Lake Property Owners Association, Inc.;'' in 2010, this group sponsored a grant to assess flowage water quality. Additionally, the Iron County Land and Water Conservation Department monitors, reports, and takes action against invasive species. At the flowage, the department has performed
biological control of
purple loosestrife with ''
Galerucella calmariensis'' beetles and conducted surveys of boating practices at landings.
Cultural significance
Indigenous history
The lakes that would make up the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage all originally fell with in the territory of the
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
. The band now living in
Lac du Flambeau
Lac du Flambeau is a town in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,004 at the 2000 census. The land base of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is located within the town and also consists of a large portion ...
settled the area in 1745 under the leadership of Azhedewish (Bad Pelican).
It is mostly like the first
Europeans
Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common genetic ancestry, common language, or both. Pan and Pfeil (2004) ...
in the region were French
fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...
rs and
trappers
Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management.
History
Neolithic ...
otherwise known as
Coureur de Bois.
In the Treaty of 1854 the
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
officially ceded several territories in modern day
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
and
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
including
Iron County Iron County is the name of four counties in the United States:
*Iron County, Michigan
*Iron County, Missouri
*Iron County, Utah
*Iron County, Wisconsin
Iron County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, t ...
.
The
Wisconsin State Constitution holds that all
navigable waters
A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Such a navigable water is called a ''waterway'', and is preferably with few obstructions against dir ...
in the state are considered public highways.
In this case the
Flambeau River
The Flambeau River is a tributary of the Chippewa River in northern Wisconsin, United States. The Chippewa is in turn a tributary of the upper Mississippi River. The Flambeau drains an area of and descends from an elevation of approximately ...
(and any land it floods) remain a matter of
public trust.
Businesses and
property owners such as the ''Chippewa and Flambeau Improvement Company'': the company responsible for the damming of the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage, do retain
riparian rights.
While the Turtle-Flambeau flowage post-dates the ceding of Ojibwe lands to the state of Wisconsin, it and the surrounding waterways have been the source of many treaty disputes. While the 1854 treaty allowed the Ojibwe to hunt and fish on ceded territory, the state of Wisconsin attempted to regulate these activities both on and off reservations.
In 1983, the U.S 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the tribes' right to fish and hunt in all ceded territories, not just reservations, in the ''Lac Court Oreilles v. Voigt, et al.'' case. This led to a backlash from white residents; rocks were thrown at Ojibwe spearfishers on the flowage, and groups such as Stop Treaty Abuse-Wisconsin confronted Ojibwe at boat landings across the area. Additionally, then-governor
Tommy Thompson attempted to roll back the Ojibwe treaty rights, first through the court system and then by offering payments to different bands to suspend their harvest. Rep.
Jim Sensenbrenner
Frank James Sensenbrenner Jr. (; born June 14, 1943) is an American politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 2021 (numbered as the 9th district until 2003). He is a member of the Republican Party.
...
also introduced (unsuccessful) legislation in the U.S. House of representatives to ban tribal hunting and fishing on non-reservation lands.
Tribal walleye spearfishing on the Turtle-Flambeau flowage accounts for 25% of the total harvest in ceded territory, and overall impact on the fishery is minimal (3.6% of total walleye harvest on the flowage).
Fishing
Many of the species of fish endemic to the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage are popular with
anglers. Species including
Walleye
The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...
,
Northern pike
The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...
, and
Muskellunge are popular trophy fish and therefore have an annual
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
to protect these species.
Other fish commonly found on the flowage include
smallmouth bass,
rock bass
The rock bass (''Ambloplites rupestris''), also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, red eye, and black perch, is a freshwater fish native to east-central North America. This red eyed creature is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish fa ...
,
bluegill
The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...
,
black crappie
The black crappie (''Pomoxis nigromaculatus'') is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two types of crappies. It is very similar to the white crappie in size, shape, and habits, except that it is darker, with a pattern of black sp ...
, and
bullhead catfish. The walleye population is especially robust, although estimated numbers declined from 72,967 fish ≥ 38 cm in 1989 to 54,208 fish ≥ 38 cm in 2009.
[Eslinger, L., & Lawson, Z. (January 2015). The History of Turtle-Flambeau Flowage Walleye: Maintaining a Sustainable Fishery Through a No-minimum Length Limit. Retrieved December 2020, from https://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/pubs/fh/ManageReports/FH155.pdf]
While most individuals are only allowed to use
rod and reel for fishing, members of
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
people have the right to
spearfish
Spearfish may refer to:
Places
*Spearfish, South Dakota, United States
* North Spearfish, South Dakota, United States
* Spearfish Formation, a geologic formation in the United States
Biology
* ''Tetrapturus'', a genus of marlin containing spe ...
walleye
The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...
(see above).
Tourism and recreation
The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage is a major destination of summer tourism. Visitors have access to the lake from four public boat landings. Camping, hunting, and fishing are also popular activities. The ''Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area'' offers 60 remote campsites accessible by water only. These sites are available year-round on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no camping fee, but camping on the flowage is restricted to designated sites.
Historically, many lakeside
resort
A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...
s have existed in the vicinity of the flowage. However, today much of the shoreline remains sparsely developed.
See also
List of lakes in Wisconsin
There are 15,074 documented lakes in Wisconsin.Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Lakes'. 2009. Of these, about 40 percent have been named. They range in size from small one-and two-acre () ponds to Lake Winnebago. They range in dept ...
External links
Turtle-Flambeau Flowage & Trude Lake Property Owners Association
References
{{authority control
Reservoirs in Wisconsin
Landforms of Iron County, Wisconsin