DocsTackleBox

Jigging walleyes has always been the most

productive method and

presentation when fishing

the Turtle Flambeau or other Mercer

area lakes.

Tipped with a minnow or half crawler, the weedless

jig

is a very effective way to work wood areas,

rocks, and weed lines.

The I

nvasion

Jig in the

1/8

oz. size and various colors is a

excellent choice.

With a plastic weed gaurd and wire hook will get

you into where the fish are without to much trouble

with snags.

Walleye

Doc's Tackle Box:

Mike "Doc" Sabec has been a professional

fishing

guide for the last 2

5

some years in

the Mercer area.

As a lifetime resident of

Mercer, Wisconsin, "Doc" has

been fishing

the Turtle Flambeau Flowage and Mercer

area lakes for 38 years. “Doc” spends on

average 200

days a year fishing the Turtle

Flambeau and area

lakes, specializing in

walleye, small mouth bass,

crappie, and

early spring jumbo perch. As we plan to

head into the Mercer area to fish, for the

first time or a

seasoned veteran, a few

tackle tips are always helpful.

Doc has put

together a few tackle suggestions for

products that he recommends and uses on

a daily

basis.

Small Mouth Bass love scented tubes. The 4"tube

imitates the

crayfish, and the small mouth's number 1

source of food in our

area is the crayfish. The Turtle

Flambeau and Mercer are lakes are

full of crayfish

making the 4" tube the bait of choice. Rig the tube

with either a 1/16th or 1/8th oz tube jig. Vertical

jigging these tubes

around wood and weeds or

casting and retrieving in a jigging

motion can prove

to be deadly for the small mouth. The ISG 4" tube

in

the "Crawdad" color is Doc's first choice, followed by

the

Watermelon Chartreuse and then the Goby. A

slowfall with crawler

or minnow also produce well.

Goby

Watermelon Chartreuse

Crawdad

The Mercer area lakes and the Turtle Flambeau

flowage are

abundant with crappie. Although not

always easy to find on a

consistent basis in the

summer months, the crappie presentations

and tackle

are quite simple. I like to use a small 1/16th oz.

jig

which can be weedless or plain. Light line, (4 lb. test)

and

a soft tipped rod always adds a advantage to your

success. Color

of the jigs doesn't seem to matter as

much as where the

presentation is offered to the

crappie. A small fathead minnow on

the small jigs

always works best. Crappies suspend most of the

time

over brush, cribs, weed lines, and deep water so it is

very

important to get the bait in their feeding zone.

Slip bobber set ups

can also work well when wanting

to fish a desired depth over the

top of structure.

The Turtle Flambeau Flowage has one of the best

populations of

jumbo perch around. Jumbo, meaning

perch are common in the

10-15 inch range. I like to

work a 1/16th oz. jig tipped with a 1 inch

piece of

crawler.

Wood and weeds are key in finding the active

perch in spring and

summer months. The best fishing

of all for the perch is the last

week in April. Fall drives

the perch to the deeper river channels, the

deeper the

better. Fall, use a fathead minnow instead of the

crawler

.

Over the last 5 years or so we have seen a explosion of

bluegill on

the Turtle Flambeau Flowage. Gills up to 10-

11 inches can be found

around wood and weedy areas.

Cribs provide a good shelter for the

bluegill along with

stump fields with good root systems. Small light jigs

tipped with a small piece of crawler or worms work best

to vertical jig

these areas. Slip bobbers with the light jigs

and worms set about a

foot over the cribs, weed edges,

and stump fields is also a great way

to take these nice

flowage gills.

Bluegill

Smallmouth

Crappie

Yellow Perch

Doc's Guide Service
2250 Leisure Lane
Mercer, WI 54547
715-476-2305
Cell: 715-776-7693
www.docsguideservice.com
doc@docsguideservice.com
Visa & Mastercard Accepted

For all your lodging needs, please visit
Northland Lodging. (Click Logo)

Click on logo for
more
information or
to order
Invasion Jigs.