Little Turtle Lake (Beltrami County)
Beltrami County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 04015500
Little Turtle Lake (Beltrami County) has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Little Turtle Lake (Beltrami County) shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 25 ft; surface area 468 acres, 302 littoral acres, 5.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Beltrami County, nearest town Puposky; DNR lake number (DOW) 04015500.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| C | Minnesota DNR | Access via river channel from Big Turtle Lake |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 9.06 | 15 | 1.56 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 8.75 | 70 | 0.51 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 2.75 | 22 | 0.60 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.88 | 15 | 0.81 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.25 | 10 | 0.85 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.12 | 9 | 0.33 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 4 | 0.56 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 4 | 2.78 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 2 | 0.12 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 8.22 | 74 | 1.28 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 7.56 | 68 | 0.13 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 7.44 | 67 | 1.09 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 5.22 | 47 | 0.78 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 3.11 | 28 | 0.62 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.56 | 14 | 0.60 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.56 | 14 | 1.99 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.72 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Little Turtle is a 469-acre lake with a maximum depth of 25 feet located 10 miles north of Bemidji in Beltrami County. Little Turtle is part of a connected chain of lakes known as the Turtle River chain. Little Turtle is accessed by boat via the Turtle River from Big Turtle Lake which lies just downstream. Access is limited to smaller boats due to shallow water and a box culvert at the County Road 15 crossing on the Turtle River. An Aquatic Management Area (AMA) located on the east shore of the lake offers additional carry-in and limited winter access. Special regulations are in effect for Sunfish (daily limit of 5 fish) and Northern Pike. Anglers should check regulations for northern pike as its special regulation was under review in 2022. Statewide regulations apply to all other species The Turtle River chain of lakes is known for good panfishing opportunities and Little Turtle Lake is no exception. The 2021 survey documented healthy populations of Bluegill and Black Crappie with good average sizes. The shallow, productive lake basin produces fast growth rates for these species and provides excellent habitat. Although Little Turtle Lake is not known as a Walleye destination in the area, the number captured in surveys is usually above average in comparison to similar lakes. The lake's connection to the Turtle River benefits migratory species such as Walleye, which are found in good numbers in many lakes in the Turtle River chain. Walleye anglers may want to give Little Turtle Lake a pass in favor of Big Turtle and Movil Lakes which are closely connected and contain better Walleye habitat and larger populations of the species. Northern Pike have always been abundant in Little Turtle Lake and can provide some good fishing action on days when other species may not want to cooperate. Northern Pike up to 32 inches in length were captured in this survey. Largemouth Bass are present but have never been captured in large numbers in surveys of Little Turtle Lake. Bass up to 17 inches were captured in this survey, with a good average size of nearly 13 inches in length. Other species of fish captured in the 2021 survey were Rock Bass, Pumpkinseed, hybrid sunfish, Brown and Yellow Bullhead, Tullibee (Cisco), White Sucker and Yellow Perch.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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