The Way it Was

[Musky Mauler]

Fishing in TFF 45-50 years ago was nothing like it is today. Some of you might remember those days. For those who don’t, I thought I’d reminisce.

Walleyes were still the favorite target. Year after year, the walleye bag limit was five. Fishermen could count on that limit as sure as they could count on the sun rising in the east. Opening day was always in the middle of May, and musky fishing opened on the same day as walleye fishing. The Flowage was full of many, many more stumps, “leaners” and log jams than the measly amount that remains today. As I’ve said before, a 7 HP outboard was okay, a 9,5 was ideal, and anyone mounting 15 HP on the back of their boat was being quite daring, indeed.

There were two productive ways to catch walleyes. (Incidentally, back then, catching a smallmouth was something that happened almost as often as catching a musky. they were pretty rare.) You could cast for walleyes, or you could “stump dunk” for them. Casting was done using a June bug spinner, retrofitted with a weedless hook, and adorned with a live mud minnow.

You would slowly and carefully navigate the circuitous route that was necessary to get past the dam. Then, you would always squeeze through the five-foot wide opening that was provided between those two llarge, looming stumps that were some four feet in diameter. Hidden stumps just below the surface were waiting to ensnarl those who would choose to bypass this preferred passage. Then, you were out into “the open water.”

It wasn’t really "open" inasmuch as there was a veritable sea of “leaners” out there. These were trees that had only become partially uprooted. Part of their root structure had come loose, but some of it was still firmly attached to the bottom. So, the tree would lean over and float. bobbing up and down if waves came along, but always remaining attached to the bottom. These were not as menacing as stumps. If you hit a stump, it was an immovable object that made known its displeasure by tsometimes aking revenge on your boat or, worse yet, your lower unit. On the other hand, if you hit one of the leaners, it would just bob down and allow the boat to ride over the it.

There were, of course, various “floaters” drifting around. If you hit one of these the chances were that it would bob under the boat as you passed over it. Then, when the engine got to the floater, it would naturally kick up out of the water and make a bit of a high speed bark at this sudden airborne kick.

For walleye fishing with a June bug, spinner you would go down into the big water and then drift with the wind through the multitude of leaners. The easy way would be to toss your rig upwind, and then drag it along downwind. However, when you invariably managed to snag your rig, you would have to turn around and go back upwind to retrieve it. So, the best method was to cast downwind and crank the retrieve back toward the boat as the boat drifted toward your rig. Naturally, you had to crank fast enough to offset the drift speed of the boat. But that way, when you got snagged, the boat would drift over your rig, and most of the time it would just come loose as you passed by.

A day of fishing amounted to just a nice, lazy drift through the leaners, with an occasional walleye to hook onto your stringer. Quite a few “snakes” (small northerns) would inhale those mud minnows as well. It was your choice whether to put them on the stringer, or toss ‘em back into the Flowage.

The other method was one that was favored by Gene Netzel . He would guarantee 10 walleyes if you would take him along to row your boat for a day’s fishing. He always made good on his guarantee. His method was easy to duplicate, of course. To do “stump dunking,” you would bring along a coffee can full of weights, a coffee can full of hooks, and dozens upon dozens of nightcrawlers.

The walleyes would “hide” in the roots of the leaners. This allowed them to pounce upon the crawdads that also found homes on the lower portions of the leaners. Your task was to drop a whole, juicy, squirmy nightcrawler down into the tilted-over root sanctuary favored by the walleyes. Nowadays, fishing jigs are tipped with half a crawler as the preferred means of presentation. But, back then a whole fat crawler on a bare hook was the method used, and it achieved the best results.

Of course, you were messing with the root structure, so lotsa snags would ensue. You’d just cut the line and tie-on another hook and sinker and have at it, again. You’d move from leaner to leaner, using your oars to get there. There were so many leaners out there that it was never a long pull on the oars to get to the next target.

In those days another cherished item (in addition to lotsa shear pins) was a stump hook. If you put down an anchor, there was a good chance that it would get snagged and you would lose it. So, if you wanted to fish for awhile from a stationary position, you’d just cozy up to a convenient stump, and thump into it with your stump hook, which was at the other end of the anchor line instead of an anchor.

Anyway, every winter since then the annual ice-out has cleaned out and removed the leaners and stumps and log jams that used to adorn the Flowage. It’s now “wide open” in comparison. As a result, fishing in the TFF has evolved into the used of entirely different techniques these days. Just thought you’d like to know how it used to be.

And remember, 30 or 40 years from now, THESE will be the “good old days.”

[Loweboy]

Thanks Mauler,that was a great story!

[Hot Runr Guy]

Keep 'em coming MM! Didn't anyone else ever stay at Shamets Resort, and join the caravan of boats following Joe out in the evenings???

HRG

[The Frog caster]

Hello all, As the Musky Mauler said, the Flowage was a real frontier 50 years ago. My first trip to the TFF was 1961. I honestly can't remember any homes or cabins on the miles of shoreline. a few resorts including Joe Popko's place. Popko's was our starting point. As the Mauler stated, tons and tons of stumps and log jams. I can still see my Dad leaning over the bow of our 16ft. aluminum boat directing Al Gilbertson. Go left !!! go right !!! .......... then bang !!! the little Johnson 5hp. sea horse sheared another pin. We just carried a lot of long roofing nails, and used them for shear pins. Our method of Walleye fishing was similar to the Mauler's. We'de pick a stump or tree (thousands to choose from) and tie up to it. Take a lively night crawler, hook it through the girth and try to lower it down to the roots of the stump or tree. If nothing happened after several minutes we'de move to the next stump. This process went on for 3 or 4 hours till we had our limit. The log jams were a good source too. Most of the jams were in the quieter back waters and produced nice results. I remember my dad tried several times to cast his little rapalas and lost every one of them within 10 minutes. I fished the flowage every year till 1970. After 1970 the place seemed to change, it just seemed less of a wilderness. Of course I was getting older and the days of 1961 through the eyes of a young 12 year old must have become less awe inspiring. Regards, Larry F........... Also the TFF was not refered to as the "Turtle Flambeau Flowage" in the 1960's ....... Everyone one just called it the "Flambeau Flowage"

[Musky Mauler]

You're right, Larry, "stump dunking" obviously got its name from fishing walleyes outta stumps, as well as leaners. I had one stump that was a "favorite." I'd catch a nice walleye from it; leave it alone for a day or two; and then go back and get yet another nice walleye from that same stump. Nine times out of ten, it would produce for me. As for log jams, that was another place where the walleyes liked to converge. You could use a long cane pole and drop your crawler down through openings between the logs that were within reach of the long cane pole. After you hooked a walleye, the task was one of lifting it up into the air and swinging it into the boat. (Obviously, a landing net was of no use.) It was hit-or-miss whether or not you could keep a fighting walleye from coming off the hook. Naturally, it was the bigger ones that tended to always get away - - but it was worth the effort.

I weighed a bit less back then (okay, mabye QUITE a bit less) and I would sometimes venture out onto the log jam - - being VERY careful where I stepped, of course. But, that worked on only very limited portions of the log jam where the logs were nice and "tight." That huge log jam on the east side of the big water was usually quite productive. Also, there would, from time to time, be a floating bog here or there on the Flowage. Walleyes tended to congregate under these floating bogs so they were never passed by without giving it a try. These soft floating bogs reminded me of tundra up in Alaska.

And, of course, the kids ALWAYS wanted to go to the dump to watch the bears scrounging for their evening dinner. It sure beat going to an outdoor movie!

[Hot Runr Guy]

MM (and others),
Just to keep the "tradition" alive, these cane poles still make the trip to the TFF with us every year, and almost always put fish in the livewell.

HRG

[timk]

Though I am only in my Fifties , we started coming up to the Flowage since 1960 . As for the Stump Hook used to ' tie onto a stump ' I still carry one or two Ice Tongs in the boat . Everyone asked me why am I buying Ice Tongs : ' to go fishing - Why ? ' is always my reply . You could always tell a boat was Stump Fishing by all the red paint ( Lund Boats ) that was scraped off the side by the waves banging the stumps . The Best of Times on the TTF !

[Musky Mauler]

Wow! That brings back memories! I once hooked a LARGE snapping turtle this way. He wouldn't let go of the hook so I flopped him into the front of the boat. Then, he got loose and decided to come after me! I had to hold him off with an oar while I chugged all the way back to Al's Place (now Fort Flambeau Condominiums). Then I took the snapper to Tomek's Old Log Inn (since burned down, and replaced with Camp One). Earl shot it with his .22 pistol (no front sight), the same one he used to shoot large muskies before boating them back in those days. He dressed out the turtle and hung it on a tree to drain. Then Elsie cooked it. That night a select few of us we had delicious turtle dinner complete with turtle soup. Too bad they never got enough of them to put turtle soup on their menu. As it was, Elsie's hamburgers and fries were absolutely the BEST! Loved playing Poker Pool at the Old Log Inn. The loser had to buy the next round of Kugel, of course. The Flowage and its environs is where I was fortunate enough to meet the very best people in the world. Great, great memories!

[DonH]

Musky Mauler and Frog Caster - I wonder if we've ever met. I also started going up there with my folks in 1960. That first time on FF as a dirt road, my dad stopped after 30 minutes or so convinced he was lost. Actually we weren't lost, but only about 1/2 way to O'meara's. We usually went up there over Memorial day for a 5 day stretch and then a week at the end of August. My dad always wanted us to end our summer vacation on a good note before school started.

As I got older and went up there either on my own or with my own family, I'd spend evenings at Earl's place, talking fishing, shooting pool. One year Earl had a broken ankel and after a tough day of guiding with his cast, he came in, saw me sitting on a stool and asked me to tend bar so he could take a nap. Then Elsie showed and up and told me that Earl never lets anyone behind his bar and she gave me a big hug.

My wife and I shot pool with Earl and Elsie one night until almost dawn. That was in 1971 because we had just gotten married and I was showing her the night life on the TFF. I think she puked 3 times on the way back to O'Meara's.

I had a buddy up there with me one time and I had a 9.9. We headed out that first morning and I told him I knew the flowage like the back of my hand. Then I nailed a log and sheared a pin within 500' of leaving the dock. I think he wanted to head straight home at that point. This place looked formidable and I'm not sure he wanted any part of it.

They had the route pretty much marked with red flags to the dam. Once you went past the dam, you were on your own. What an adventure. And the fishing! Always carried a rope with me to haul boats off logs they were hung up on. Yeah, I've done that a few times. It was as wild a place as there was in Wisconsin and I loved every bit of it - still do.

My main regret is that I never took any pictures of the water and all the logs. Just took pictures of the fish.

[George G]

Great subject and stories. No one has mentioned the Hiawatha ??, That is gone now but it was truly a land mark of the flowage. Any stories from their would be appreciated, also Donners Bay which of course is newer but still is part of the history of the flowage also. I am sure their are other smaller resorts that would be of interest also to be spoken of. Thanks for this thread. very interesting.

[The Frog caster]

Hello George G. ............ correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm almost sure the Hiawatha was "Art Schmdit's Musky lodge" prior to being the Hiawatha. The Hiawatha was owned at one time by Dick and Florence Amos. Dick and Florence owned a tavern in Sturtevant, Wi. called the Hiawatha. They sold the Tavern and bought the resort in the early to mid 1970's. Since the Tavern was sold thay kept the "Hiawatha" name ........ hence the name The Hiawatha resort. They had a son named Dwayne. Dwayne was a friend of mine, and Bruce Wick and I would visit Dwayne and his folks at the resort. I also think it changed hands several times since Dick and Flo owned it. The place was a little run down in the early 1970's but it had a real cool bar !!!! ....... Anyway, that's my recollection of the joint. Best Regards, Larry F.

[George G]

I and a buddy stayed at the Hiawatha one winter just to do something. The place was heated with one fireplace in the great room off the bar, rooms were up stairs, Owners area was accessed throught he common bathroom. Metal spring beds. The bartender then also was the cook, great hamburgers, he also helps out now at the Midway . Low key, great get a way. I remember it well. I do not know much of the history of the lodge , it seems like you know way more than I and that is interesting. As I recall it was one of the first fishing lodge's on the flowage. Not sure what they did during the dear season , I am sure they must have been open then also. Anyone with memories to share with us is great. Thanks.

[George G]

Just as a side note. When we stayed at the Hiawatha, a gentlemen stopped in that use to work for the logging company that worked the roddis line area. The flowage of course was damed up during that era. There is a book out that I have that goes through the dam building along with pictures of the logging operation in the area. This person was in charge of building the logging camps. They would use large Tamarack trees to build the cabins where the loggers stayed. At the time we met him he was building his own cabin on Highway F maybe a mile from the Midway or so. I am sure he has passed on . He was very interesting to talk to. His property is up for sale right now . The log cabin he built there was built with Tamarack logs also that he had a friend import from Canada. He also used some conventional construction also. Just a side note on the area and the flowage.

[dewkid]

Thanks for the history I am interested as to when the dam was built to create this massive flowage.
thanks

[Flambeau Vista Retreat LLC]

The dam was built in 1926. It took four years for the flowage to fill, which was quicker than estimated and that is why not all of the timber was harvested resulting in the unique structure.

[fangmbr]

Have you seen the TFF video on this DNR website?

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/facilitie...u/history.html

[Musky Mauler]

Don H,

Your tale reminded me of a time when a young man came to the Flowage and wanted to go down the river. He went to Ed Robinson. But, Ed was booked. So, he asked Ed if he could just get one of his boats. Ed wanted to know who would be guding him. He told Ed that he was going down the river with me. Ed wasn't sure that he knew who I was. So, the guy told him that I'd been down the river many times, and that I knew the river like the back of my hand.

Even though he had no idea who I really was, Ed reluctantly agreed to leave a boat for us the next day. Actually, I had been down the river only twice. When we got to the landing, Ed had already departed with his party. We loaded our stuff; hooked on a small 2.5 engine; and off we went. There were three of us in that flat-bottom wooden boat, with the young man in question occupying the seat in the bow, and a friend of his in the middle seat. I was in the stern where I could work the oars as well as tend to the engine. We were fishing for muskies.

The "tight spot," of course, was Notch Rock Rapids. We had to negotiate through the rapids, and the safe channel was actually over to the right side, and quite close to Notch Rock. You sure didn't want to get TOO close to the rock. On one previous trip down the river (as a passenger) I saw the remains of a bent-up aluminum canoe that was still folded against the huge rock. It was a reminder with regard to having to get close - - but not TOO close!

As we approached the rapids I told the guys to stop casting. But, the guy in the bow had to get in "just one more cast." As he did so, he managed to snag a tree. He then tried to pull it loose. But, his 30-pound-test line held tight. This caused the bow of the boat to swing toward the tree as we began our run downstream through the rapids. Finally, it broke loose. But, by now we were going backwards, and I had my hands full trying to keep the boat in the channel close to Notch Rock.

As was his habit, Ed Robinson always fished the pool at the bottom of Notch Rock Rapids until his other boat(s) had safely negotiated this most treacherous part of the river trip. I can't describe the look on his face as he watched us do our Keystone Kops routine through the rapids.

I somehow managed to busily maneuver us safely past the menacing rock and down into the calm pool below. As we drifted into the pool, the guy in the bow hollered to Ed, "See, this guy knows the river so well that he can run the rapids BACKWARDS!"

Ed just shook his head and moved on downstream with his party. I dallied in the pool long enough to make sure that we wouldn't catch up to him for the rest of the day.

Ed actually did rent a boat to me yet another time - - with the promise that I would go through Notch Rock Rapids FRONTWARDS.

[FishMarker]

I must be getting old. I remember starting to come up to the area in the mid 70's. Used to stay at Maggie and Stumps Shady Knoll on Mcdormett Lake. Can not remember how it is spelled. Used to do good there for walleye then go over to the Flowage. Every memorial day, fourth of july for a week or two. One last fishing with just the guys in Sept-Oct. Then snowmobiling for new years. Those were great times and lots of fun. Now nobody does that like then. No money and no time. Great memories.

[Musky Mauler]

I forgot to mention the annual pre-season football game between the Chicago Bears, and the Green Bay Packers. There were no TV satellite dishes back then. In fact, I'm not sure that there was even color TV yet. But, there was a black-and-white TV set in the bar in the "Lodge" at Al's Place. Fans of both teams would gather 'round and partake of Kugel and various drinks concocted of a harder nature. The TV reception was horrible, at best. Now and then a football player could be discerened out of the copious amounts of snow and other jagged interference that appeared on the TV screen. If one concentrated hard enough, the process of the game could actually be interpreted. It wasn't much, but it was the best that could be had in those days.

Naturally, things would get heated within the confines of the bar depending upon which team happened to be in the lead at any given time. "George Halas is a jerk!" would come out of the mouth of a Packers fan. "Vince Lombardi is a fag!" would be the reply from a Bears fan. When things REALLY got heated, a handful of popcorn would be lofted across from one team's camp on one end of the bar toward the other team's group on the other end of the bar. Despite the hefty amount of beverages consumed during the game, things never really got any worse than that. However, some of the popcorn WAS thrown with a quite obvious malicious intent now and then. Some folks would even feint a throw with a slice of Tombstone Pizza. But, that was way too precious to be wasted in such a fashion. The threat, alone, would have to suffice, and the intended missile, itself, would be gobbled down, instead.

Then, we'd all hafta wait for next year's pre-season game before the bantering could resume once again.

Nowadays I suppose some folks around the Flowage watch this game on a big, high-def, widescreed 3-D color TV set.

Times HAVE changed!

[sheared-pin]

Thanks all for the wonderful stories! Thought I would add this TFF brochure from 1969 to give this particular thread a little context. Many of the people and resorts discussed herein are inside. I first stayed with my parents on the TFF at Al's Place, Cabin 7 back in 1967. Have had a life long affection for the pure splendor of the TFF ever since.

On the back of the brochure, that I haven't included, was of course a rather crude map of the TFF by today's standards, showing the location of the original rivers, basins and lodges, but it was good enough for us to navigate... well not really as my name would suggest.

Lol. Back in 1969 you could still reach Mercer by train on the CNW, to wash a load of laundry in Butternut was 25 cents, dry 10 cents. My brother and I spent many a night closing down Tomek's Old Log Inn with Earl and numerous river trips with him or Ed Robinson...

Oh well, I hope these open for you and enjoy the TFF, at least "the way it was" in 1969!

[charnley]

George G
Not sure if my message went through. Can you give me the title of the book that you referenced? Thanks for the info.
Charnley

[George G]

The book is titled, "The Roddis Line", you can do a search on the internet and find a few for sale. I bought mine from a book store in colorodo of all places. If you live near Park Falls , Stop in at the libraray and I am sure they may have a copy of it also. Good pictures interesting reading, I own property on the Roddis line with evidence of its Rail Road bed on the property, interesting to say the least. Hope you can find it for sale yet.

[waldowillie]

I still have several brochures of the TFF from the sixties, been holding on to them. When not out in the boat used to love going to the Electric Bakery, Johnnie's Golden Slipper, Hick's Landing etc. and it seemed there was always a big musky in Scully's freezer caught and it was always caught from Butternut.

[sheared-pin]

Musky Mauler,

Thanks for your additional remembrances and excellent literary tributes to the wonderful people of TFF's rich history. May the lives of these great people never be forgotten.

Found another TFF brochure from 1971 and I’ve included the map from the backside of the brochure that most all used for primary navigation back then. I'd really like to see ones from earlier times if someone has the availability and ability to share.

The opener is right around the corner and best of luck to all!

[MuskieRandy]

Thanks for the stories!