Turtle

Turtle is a 108 acre lake, with a maximum depth of 33', located 3.5 miles North of Garrison, MN. Turtle is in the Rum River Watershed. A nearshore survey was conducted to assess the populations of both game and non-game fish species. Ten 100' long sampling stations were evenly spaced around the lakeshore. Each station was then sampled by backpack electrofishing, and if conditions allowed with a 15' or 50' 1/8th inch seine. The survey took place August 2-3, 2023, with all 10 stations sampled by backpack electrofishing. The 50' 1/8th inch seine was used at 2 stations and the 15' 1/8th inch seine was used at 5 stations. Eleven species were sampled, including two species that are intolerant of habitat disturbance: Blackchin Shiner and Blacknose Shiner. This nearshore survey was used along with the gill net and trap net survey collected the same week to calculate a Fish-Based Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health by the types of fish species present and comparing it to what is expected for this type of lake.

Turtle Lake is a 108 acre lake located 6 miles north of Garrison, MN in Crow Wing County. It is accessible through a man-made, 1,800 foot long, channel on the NE end of Partridge Lake. The best fishing option appears to be Northern Pike which were caught in high numbers (13.0/gill net). While average size wasn't that amazing (21.2"), the higher numbers as well as 15% of the fish measuring over 30" could offer some excitement. Largemouth Bass electrofishing was not done in 2023, but enough fish were caught in nets to suggest that they could offer anglers an opportunity to catch some fish. Bass up to 15.3" were captured. Panfish abundance and size were relatively low. Black Crappie numbers were average (2.8/gill net) and 44% of the fish were at least 8". The largest Crappie was 9.5". Bluegill numbers were low for this type of lake (7.7/trap net) and size was very small. Only one fish was over 7" and average length was 4.6."

NOP WAS ABUNDANT (21.5/GILLNET). AVERAGE SIZE WAS SMALL (1.32 LB) AND MEDIAN LENGTH WAS 18 12-25 WITH 60% OF MEASURED FISH COMING FROM THE 1988 YEAR CLASS. GROWTH WAS GOOD. BLG (78.5/TRAPNET) WAS ALSO ABUNDANT WITH SMALL (0.08 LB) AVERAGE SIZE. MEDIAN LENGTH WAS 4.0 AGE III-VIII WERE PRESENT WITH AGES III-V BEING MOST COMMON IN THE SAMPLE. GROWTH WAS SLOW AS WELL. BLC (1.0/TRAPNET) WERE CAUGHT IN LOW NUMBERS FOR THIS LAKE CLASS BUT SIZE (0.28 LB) WAS AVERAGE. THREE SLOW-GROWING AGE CLASSES WERE PRESENT IN THE COMBINED CATCH FROM GILLNETS AND TRAPNETS. LMB WAS SAMPLED ONLY IN GILLNETS (ONE FISH). YEB (13.5/TRAPNET) WAS PRESENT IN AVERAGE NUMBERS AND SIZE (0.39 LB). THE MEDIAN LENGTH WAS 8.5 POPULATION WAS SIMILAR IN COMPOSITION TO THAT SEEN IN THE 1973 INITIAL LAKE SURVEY. THE POPULATION DID NOT SEEN UNCHARACTERISTIC FOR A SMALL, SOFT- WATER LAKE WITH LOW FERTILITY.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, and Bluegill in Turtle. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Turtle. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Turtle has a maximum depth of 33 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Turtle is from 2023.

No invasive species are on record for Turtle in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.