Wisconsin DNR Issues New Regs for Turtle-Flambeau Walleye Fisheries

MERCER, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued new walleye regulations for the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage and connected waterbodies. Anglers should note that these changes went into effect on April 1, 2020, ahead of the game fish season opener on May 2, 2020.

These new walleye regulations will impose a minimum length limit of 12 inches. Anglers will also only be allowed to keep one walleye over 15 inches with a total daily bag limit of three walleyes.

Waters subject to the new regulations include:

• Turtle-Flambeau Flowage
• Trude Lake
• The Bear River
• The Flambeau River – upstream of the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage at Murray’s Landing
• The Little Turtle River
• The Manitowish River – upstream of the Flambeau River to the Rest Lake Dam (including Benson, Sturgeon and Vance lakes)

“This new regulation is tailored to a system with a recent decline in natural reproduction, but where harvest pressure on the entire population remains high,” said Zach Lawson, a DNR fisheries biologist. “Combining recent survey information with a rich historical dataset on the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage suggests that this regulation is a sustainable option for protecting one of Wisconsin’s great walleye fisheries.”

This Turtle-Flambeau Flowage regulation change should help reduce the harvest of both juvenile and adult walleyes while still allowing anglers to harvest some quality-sized fish. The goal of this regulation change is to manage for a higher walleye population density with larger walleyes available for harvest.

Visit the 2020 Fishing Regulations for more information.