Turtle Flambeau Flowage (Iron County)

Waterbody ID (WBIC): 2294900 — permanent page /lakes/2294900/.

Turtle Flambeau Flowage is in Iron County; records show 12,942 acres and 5 DNR access-site records.

Size

12,942 acres

Lake type

DRAINAGE

Max depth

50 ft

• 5 documented public access site records (DNR access inventory)
• 7 fish species/groups with abundance categories (DNR lake page)
• Fish stocking documented through 2023 (DNR stocking records)
• Summer Secchi clarity median 5 ft (field measurements)
• Official DNR depth map available (PDF)

Back to results Show on map Choose access / Directions Depth map (PDF) Check current DNR regulations

Plan your visit

• Lake directory: public landing — Yes
• Lake directory: public beach — No
• Lake directory: public park — No
• DNR public-access inventory: 5 documented access site records
• DNR public-access inventory: documented developed boat ramp
• 5 sites qualify for per-site Directions through the reviewed lake association (load the site details below)

Each statement is bounded to its named source; absence of a record is never evidence of no access. The DNR access database may lag reality; posted signs at the landing are authoritative.

Verify at the DNR public boat access program page.

Nearby facilities

• NEWMAN SPRINGS — Trailhead; ≈5.3 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈13.5 km from the associated access point (straight line).
• NEWMAN LAKE — Group picnic site; ≈5.5 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈12.2 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged. Official USFS page
• HWY 182/FLAMBEAU ATV TH — Trailhead; ≈7.1 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈14.3 km from the associated access point (straight line).
• BLOCKHOUSE TRAILHEAD — Trailhead; ≈10.2 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈14.4 km from the associated access point (straight line).
• SMITH RAPIDS — Campground; ≈10.3 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈18.1 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged. Official USFS page
• 7 more inventoried sites within 15 km.

USFS Chequamegon-Nicolet constructed recreation sites only; straight-line distance is geographic context, not a travel route.

Fishing

The DNR lake page publishes 7 fish species/groups with abundance categories — categories are source labels, never a population count.

DNR fish labels: Northern Pike—Abundant; Walleye—Abundant; Musky—Common; not population counts.

Stocking records: 26 documented events through 2023, 4,506,302 fish total. Species: Muskellunge And Hybrids (Occasional), Lake Sturgeon (Rare), Walleye (Historic). Events in 2015 or later count as recent.

Fisheries survey population estimates are published for this lake; survey estimates are historical point-in-time studies and are never compared or ranked here.

• Musky reproductive status (DNR mapped): Natural reproduction plus stocking (Cat. 2)
• Musky angling class — 2018 historical publication, not current status: Musky A1 — DNR trophy-water class

Fishing limits — 2026-2027 season: 20 normalized rows across 20 species entries. Normalized from the DNR ruleset retrieved 2026-08-04. Source text remains authoritative.

2026-2027 retained fishing rules: 20 published rows for 20 species; effective through 2027-03-07. Check current DNR rules.

Water and setting

• Field-measured summer Secchi clarity: median 5 ft from 142 samples, latest sample 2025-08-29
• Satellite clarity estimate: 4.79 ft (2017) — a remote-sensing estimate, kept separate from field measurements
• Lake directory clarity class: Low

Official DNR depth map (PDF) — Historical lake map; not for navigation. Link checked 2026-07-16.

Not published in the lake directory: official mean depth.

• AIS record: Eurasian watermilfoil — Verified (vouchered), latest documented 2023-08-01
• AIS record: Purple loosestrife — Verified (vouchered), latest documented 2021-07-28

Occurrence records come from a non-exhaustive DNR inventory; a record documents presence at observation time and a missing record is never evidence of absence.

• Public-land proximity (GIS proxy, not access evidence): mapped public land within 1,000 ft; nearest: Turtle Flambeau Scenic Waters Area (Wisconsin DNR); ≈93.1% of shoreline buffer
• Shoreline development (landcover proxy, 2025 source): ≈3.4% developed land within 300 m, ≈0.4% impervious
• Road proximity (TIGER proxy, 2025 source): nearest local road or city street ≈0 m; ≈0.9 km of road per km² within 1 km

• Resource water (NR 102): Outstanding Resource Water (ORW) — NR 102.10(1m)9
• Priority Navigable Waterway — basis: musky area, walleye area, outstanding/exceptional resource water

Designations are legally defined DNR records shown as their sources state them; no composite rating is implied.

Data & sources

Published data families

• Fish species and abundance (DNR lake pages)
• Fish stocking history
• Fishing regulations (normalized snapshot)
• Directory access facts (landing, beach, park)
• Public access site inventory
• Satellite water clarity estimate
• Field-measured Secchi clarity
• Fisheries survey population estimates
• Aquatic invasive species occurrences

Original records: Wisconsin DNR lake page.

Missing values are unpublished, never zero; each fact above is bounded to its named source and date. Full sourcing detail: Data & methods.