Little Turtle Lake (Itasca County)
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31077900
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Little Turtle Lake (Itasca County) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2024 (9,278 fish).
- Little Turtle Lake (Itasca County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 45,886 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 29 ft; surface area 492 acres, 226 littoral acres, 4.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Talmoon; DNR lake number (DOW) 31077900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 5/14/1981 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 9,278 | 289.9 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 9,398 | 293.7 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,616 | 226.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 11,300 | 452.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 12,294 | 452.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | 1.25 miles east of Talmoon; MN on Co. Rd. 252 on the east shore. |
DNR fish survey, 2020
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 24.56 | 221 | 0.10 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 6.78 | 61 | 2.31 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 6.78 | 61 | 1.31 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.11 | 19 | 1.12 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.56 | 14 | 0.31 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.15 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 0.56 | 5 | 1.02 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.92 |
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.
The 2015 lake management plan (LMP) indicated Bluegill and Walleye were primary management species while Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike were secondary. The LMP goal was to maintain a Walleye gill-net catch rate at 5.0/net. Only gill nets were used in the 2020 survey. Information from the 2020 spring electrofishing survey for Bluegill and Largemouth Bass are presented in another report. Northern Pike gill-net catches have ranged from 6.8 fish/net in 2020 to 13.3 fish/net in 1982. The catch in 2020 was the lowest on record but similar to lakes with similar habitat. The sampled fish ranged from 15.1 to 31.9 inches and averaged 21.8 inches. Seven age-classes were estimated with fish from age 1 to 7 represented. Pike averaged 21.7 inches by age 4; which was similar to the statewide average of 20.5 inches. Voluntary release of larger pike is encouraged so those genetics can be passed on to future generations. Walleye have been actively managed for many years. The most recent strategy has been to stock 2 lbs of fall fingerlings/littoral acre (452 lbs) every other year. Gill-net catch rates have ranged from 2.1/net in 1988 to 10.3/net in 1982. The 2020 catch of 6.8 was above average for the lake (5.2/net). The sampled fish ranged from 9.2 to 23.4 inches and averaged 15.1 inches. The five year-classes sampled included fish from 2 to 8 years old. Roughly 90% of the fish were age 2 or 4, both stocked years. Based on the lake habitat only limited natural reproduction is anticipated. Growth was similar to the statewide average with fish averaging 14.7 inches at age 4. The Walleye population likely provides some good angling. Yellow Perch gill-net catch rates have varied from 24.6 fish/net in 2020 to 112.2 fish/net in 2006. The 2020 catch was the lowest on record yet above average for similar lakes. Perch catches have generally been high with poor size distributions. The sampled fish ranged from 4.1 to 8.5 inches and averaged 6.0 inches. Perch are likely more important as prey for predators like bass, pike and Walleye than they are of interest to anglers. Tullibee can be difficult to sample because they frequently live suspended over deep water, an area the survey nets were not designed to sample. However, they are important to fish communities as a prey source for large predators. Tullibee gill-net catch rates have ranged from 0.6 fish/net in 2020 to 25.5 fish/net in 1974. The 2020 catch was the lowest on record. The five sampled fish ranged from 13.9 to 14.8 inches and averaged 14.2 inches. It appears only one year-class was sampled based on the length…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.