Turtle Lake (Itasca County)
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31072500
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Turtle Lake (Itasca County) since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (9,652 fish).
- Turtle Lake (Itasca County) has 9 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 69,155 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 137 ft; surface area 2,126 acres, 556 littoral acres, 25.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 14.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), hybrid sunfish, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Marcell; DNR lake number (DOW) 31072500.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/26/1980 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 9,652 | 556.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 10,759 | 531.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,200 | 110.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 8,490 | 566.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,530 | 110.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 17,786 | 555.8 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,750 | 110.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 12,788 | 556.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,200 | 110.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 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 | USF | Northeast shore of west basin by Maple Lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2017
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 47.69 | 96 | 1.65 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 11.43 | 23 | 1.17 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 10.07 | 151 | 0.08 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.47 | 22 | 0.29 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.87 | 13 | 0.20 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.40 | 6 | 0.13 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.40 | 6 | 0.37 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.27 | 4 | 1.52 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.27 | 4 | 0.22 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.20 | 3 | 4.22 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 5.77 | 75 | 0.61 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 4.85 | 63 | 2.24 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 4.23 | 55 | 0.37 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 3.85 | 50 | 2.48 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 2.08 | 27 | 0.08 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 1.69 | 22 | 3.75 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.15 | 15 | 0.13 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.08 | 14 | 0.65 |
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 2,052 acre lake with 556 littoral acres (27%) and a maximum depth of 137 feet. The 25.8 mile shoreline is moderately developed but interspersed with large undeveloped parcels. There are two inlets, from Hatch and Maple Lake(s), and one outlet through Turtle River. There is a small US Forest Service access on the northeast shore with limited parking. Walleye are a primary management species and have been stocked at various rates and frequencies in the past, but have been stocked at a rate of one pound/littoral acre (556 pounds) in even years since 2002. Rusty crayfish, an invasive species, has been documented at various abundances in past surveys. The fisheries lake management plan (LMP) was last revised in 2011. Walleye were listed as the primary management species with a management goal of maintaining a gill net catch rate above 4.0/net. Smallmouth Bass are also considered a primary management species. The goal was to increase or maintain Smallmouth Bass PSD-11 above 80, RSD-14 above 60 and RSD-17 above 20 with a gill net catch rate above 3.0/net. A 12 to 20 inch with one over 20 inches in possession protected slot length special regulation was implemented in the spring of 2006. Northern Pike are considered a secondary management species with management goals of a catch rate less than 3.0/net and fish greater than 34 inches present. Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass are also considered secondary management species. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate fingerling stocking and the status of the fishery. Turtle Lake has a long history of Walleye catches that are comparable to lakes with similar habitats. The 2017 catch rate of 4.9/gill net was similar to the previous surveys and met the management goals. There was a diverse range of sizes sampled, similar to previous assessments. Lengths ranged from 12.1 to 29.3 inches with an average length of 17.7 inches. Age analysis suggested year classes were fairly well dispersed. This was the second survey since the Smallmouth Bass regulation was implemented. Smallmouth Bass were sampled at a rate of 3.9/gill net, similar to previous surveys and exceeding management goals. Size structure was good, surpassing management goals and the previous survey. Lengths ranged from 6.1 to 20.1 inches with an average length of 16.2 inches. Electrofishing was also conducted to complement the sample size. Lengths from the electrofishing sample ranged from 4.9 to 19.4 inches with an average length of 14.0 inches. Northern Pike are not abundant and typically sampled below the expected range for similar lakes.…
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.
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