North Turtle Lake

Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56037900

DNR records show 5 stocking entries at North Turtle Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (50,000 fish).

• North Turtle Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 5,866,000 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 19 ft; surface area 1,773 acres, 1,454 littoral acres, 22.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.8 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: April 17, 2025 (targeted survey).
• Otter Tail County, nearest town Underwood; DNR lake number (DOW) 56037900.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/21/1972 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

¹ fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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.

North Turtle Lake is a 1,484-acre eutrophic (fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County immediately northeast of Underwood, MN. North Turtle Lake is part of the Otter Tail River Watershed. There are no navigable inlets or outlets. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 19 feet; however, 98% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Historical Secchi disk readings ranged from 5.5 to 12.1 feet. The water clarity of North Turtle Lake sometimes diminishes during the summer months due to plankton/algae blooms. The majority of the shoreline of North Turtle Lake remains undeveloped. A state-owned public water access was developed along the north shoreline in 2011. The shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and muck. Large stands of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are prevalent along the majority of the shoreline. Emergent aquatic plants such as hardstem bulrush and cattail provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms and absorb and break down polluting chemicals. Emergent plants provide spawning areas for fish such as Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and panfish. They also serve as an important nursery area for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. North Turtle Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish type of lake, and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, and Bluegill are the dominant gamefish species. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the abundance of suitable spawning habitat that is available. A special spring trap netting survey was conducted in 2025 to analyze the Black Crappie population. Catch data indicate that Black Crappies are moderately abundant. The 2020-, 2021-, and 2023- year classes are strong and should provide consistently good Black Crappie angling for several years. Fish sampled ranged in size from 5.3 to 13.9 inches in length, with an average length of 9.7 inches. Fifty-two percent of the crappies were 10.0 inches or greater in length. Crappie growth rates are good with an average length of 11.5 inches at five years of age. Special harvest regulations for Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie were implemented in 2006 and modified in 2016 after public comment. All bass 14.0 inches and larger must be immediately released with the exception of one over 20.0 inches allowed in…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, April 17, 2025.

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