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INFORMATION FOR BIG QINNESEC FLOWAGE, STURGEN FALLS FLOWAGE
These two northern Marinette County lakes are impoundments of the Menominee River. Together, they comprise less than 400 acres of lightly stained water, along with identical – and pretty decent – fisheries. In Big Quinnesec, Muskellunge sit atop the food chain. Russ Heizer, DNR fisheries biologist in Peshtigo, says there aren’t many of them. And they aren’t particularly large, either, topping out at perhaps 40 inches. But, make no mistake, if you tie into one of these fish you’ll know you’ve been in a fight. There’s nothing that battles like a Muskie. In this 127-acre reservoir, you’ll also find a naturally reproducing Walleye population whose numbers are kept low by Muskie predation. And then, there are some “snake” Northern Pike, some decent Smallies, and some pretty fair Perch. The shallow bays are good places to hunt for Muskies early; later, you’ll want to cast your bucktails along the deeper weedlines. Areas around the mid-lake humps offer action, as do the islands and bars in the south end. Fish many of the same areas for Walleyes, of course, and don’t ignore the channels in the old river bed. There’s good winter action on “Big Quinney” for goggle eyes and Perch. For some reason, says Heizer, the larger Walleyes seem to wait till the lake has a roof on it before they bite consistently. There are, meanwhile, no Sturgeon in Sturgeon Falls Flowage, says Heizer. The lake was named for the river, not the fish species. The lack of Sturgeon, however, doesn’t mean there isn’t a decent fishery. In fact, in the case of Muskies, at least, it’s probably a bit better than that of Quinney. That, says Heizer, is because the Michigan DNR stocks Muskies in this body of water, and you’ll find some topping 40 inches. True: there aren’t too many of them, but there are some decent ones; every year, someone gets a 40-plus-incher. In addition to the Esox, some nice Walleyes, decent Smallies, and Northerns, and nice panfish are to be had here. Fish the stump fields and bays for the Muskies and Northerns. And the channel edges will do nicely for the Walleyes and Smallies.
GB2
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