Activities and Attractions
Iron County Wisconsin, including the towns of Mercer and Hurley, is filled with beautiful scenery and rich iron mining heritage.
- Fishing – open water and ice – Musky, Walleye, Bass, Northern Pike & Panfish – private pier
- Boating – open water and river canoeing – boat landing nearby – pontoon boat rental nearby
- Hunting – large and small game – Deer, Ruffed Grouse & Waterfowl – thousands of acres of public hunting land are nearby
- Sightseeing – woods, waters, waterfalls and wildlife – loons, eagles, osprey, beaver, otter & deer, fall color tours
- Hiking and Biking – on and off-road trails
- ATV & UTV riding – the cabin is located on the largest trail system in Wisconsin
- Shop and Eat – unique shops and restaurants within 20 miles
- Snowmobiling – hundreds of miles of trails are just outside the door, Iron County Trail #9
- Snowshoeing and Cross Country Skiing – beginner to advanced
Turtle-Flambeau Flowage History
The Chippewa and Flambeau Improvement Company created the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage in 1926 with the damming of the Turtle and Flambeau Rivers. The dam, built to generate energy for the Flambeau Paper Corporation created a body of water 14, 300 acres in size, encompassing 15 lakes, three rivers, and several creeks.
Over the years, the flowage has had many visitors, some of them notorious, adding fodder to the area’s history. John Dillinger frequented the area. The movie Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp as Dillinger was filmed at the Little Bohemia restaurant in Manitowish Waters just a stone’s throw from the flowage. Al Capone, the Chicago gangster, fished the flowage area many times, especially in the years after he was released from prison. Charlie Comiskey, the founder of the White Sox baseball team, fished the Trude Lake area of the flowage with his team members.
The State of Wisconsin acquired ownership of over 23,000 acres (95%) of the land surrounding the flowage, including 114 miles of shoreline and 195 islands, ensuring that the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage will remain one of the largest wilderness waters in Wisconsin. The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage is truly the Crown Jewel of Wisconsin!
Fishing
The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage provides the best of north woods fishing experiences. The flowage supports a diversity of native warm-water fish species including walleye, muskellunge, northern pike, smallmouth and largemouth bass, lake sturgeon and various panfish species.
Walleye: The flowage is best known for its superb walleye fishery. Walleye are by far the most abundant gamefish and provide the majority of sport fish harvest. Natural reproduction and abundance of catchable-size walleye are outstanding.
Crappie: Black crappie has proven to provide some exceptional panfishing during the early summer months and through the ice. Like all crappie populations, they are cyclic; when numbers are up, fishing is tremendous.
Smallmouth Bass: Although known for its fantastic walleye fishing, the Turtle Flambeau Flowage also boasts an excellent population of Smallmouth Bass. With 14,300 acres of superb smallmouth habitat, abundant feed, and acres of prime spawning areas the small mouth population on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage has exploded. Commonly referred to as “footballs”, the Turtle Flambeau Flowage produces a much heavier Smallie than the average inch to pound ratio than most other bodies of water.
Musky: Muskies provide outstanding trophy angling. In the past, muskies in excess of 50 pounds have been caught. Annual stocking is used to supplement the limited natural reproduction.
Click Here for Fishing Reports
Snowmobiling the Mercer, Wisconsin Area
Snow blanketed forests filled with the sights and sounds of the Wisconsin Northwoods is what lures many snowmobilers to Iron County. Boasting nearly 200 inches of snow annually and over 500 miles of groomed trails are great reasons to set your sights on this beautiful county for your next riding adventure. Direct trail access from the cabin’s driveway.