Turtle Lake (Douglas County)
Douglas County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 21009000
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Turtle Lake (Douglas County) since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (2,052 fish).
- Turtle Lake (Douglas County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 14,279 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 21 ft, mean depth 7 ft; surface area 218 acres, 192 littoral acres, 3.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, common carp, 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: (standard survey).
- Douglas County, nearest town Forada; DNR lake number (DOW) 21009000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/1/1956 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,052 | 263.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 4,728 | 192.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,187 | 147.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,986 | 198.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,326 | 192.0 |
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 | Located on south side off County Road # 88 |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 69.27 | 127 | 0.43 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 48.12 | 385 | 0.12 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 9.62 | 77 | 0.24 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 2.38 | 19 | 0.42 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.12 | 17 | 0.71 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.75 | 14 | 0.16 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 1.50 | 12 | 0.11 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.38 | 3 | 1.08 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.38 | 3 | 0.24 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 13.67 | 82 | 0.66 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 11.00 | 66 | 0.92 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 10.67 | 64 | 1.33 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 9.33 | 56 | 0.13 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 8.67 | 52 | 0.26 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 6.50 | 39 | 0.29 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 16 | 0.82 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 16 | 0.17 |
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.
Turtle Lake is a shallow, productive basin located in southern Douglas County. Consisting of two large bays, average depth is only 7.0 feet and aquatic vegetation is common. Water clarity was approximately 13.0 feet at the time of the July survey. A concrete boat launch is located in the southwest corner of Turtle Lake just off Douglas County Road 88 SW. Turtle Lake supports an abundant Walleye population (10.7/gill net). Average size was 14.8 inches and 1.3 pounds. Despite a moderate average size, approximately 25% of the population currently exceeds 18.0 inches. Rapid growth rates allow smaller individuals to reach desirable lengths quickly. Two- and five-year-olds were the most common. Alternate year fingerling and yearling stocking efforts appear to be creating a productive fishery. Northern Pike catch rates (2.3/gill net) were slightly below the statewide average of similar lakes (4.7/gill net). Approximately 50% of Northern Pike were between 14.0 and 21.0 inches. The largest individual was 28.6 inches. Anglers are encouraged to take advantage of the liberalized pike harvest regulation (anglers are able to keep up to 10 pike with no more than two fish longer than 26 inches; all fish from 22-26 inches must be released). Largemouth Bass are common (69.3 bass/hour of electrofishing). Average length was 7.8 inches, but large bass are present. Maximum length was 19.8 inches. On average, it took 5.3 years for bass to reach 12.0 inches. Bluegill abundance was high (48.1/trap net). Over 65% of individuals were between 6.0 and 8.0 inches. The largest individual was 8.3 inches. High densities appear to be limiting growth and total length. Anglers are encouraged to harvest the abundant, moderately-sized Bluegill (6.0-8.0 inches). Reduced densities would allow some individuals to grow larger. Black Crappie were abundant, but most were not large enough to contribute to the fishery (average length was 7.1 inches). Low average size is related to the strong one- and two-year-old year classes. A remnant of the strong 2014 year class will provide the opportunity for some larger crappies. Maximum size of crappie in 2021 was 11.4 inches. Yellow Perch were common (9.3/gill net), but average size was modest. Over 95% of all perch were between 5.0 and 8.0 inches. Other species recorded in the 2021 lake survey included Black Bullhead, Common Carp, Golden Shiner, hybrid sunfish, Pumpkinseed and Yellow bullhead. The next lake survey is scheduled for 2027. Turtle Lake is designated as infested with zebra mussels. Anglers are reminded to drain boats and equipment prior to…
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.