Turtle

Turtle Lake is located in Shoreview and is categorized as lake class 24. It has a surface acreage of 409 acres with 245 acres being littoral (60%) and a maximum depth of 28 feet. Most of the shoreline is developed as single-family homes. Ramsey County Parks operates a popular park facility in the southeast corner of the lake. Facilities include a picnic area, boat ramp and swimming beach. Walleye and Largemouth Bass are the primary management species in this lake. Walleye fingerlings are stocked annually at 1pounds/littoral-acre (245 pounds). An experimental regulation for Largemouth Bass was put in place in 2020 with a protected slot of 14-20 inches. The goal of this regulation is to allow harvest of smaller bass and shift the size structure in the lake to a larger average size. The bass population is assessed by separate spring electrofishing surveys while this year's survey was focused on sampling the Walleye population with gill nets. The previous gill net survey was conducted in 2022. Typical relative to recent surveys of the lake and higher than average for the lake class, Walleye were sampled at a rate of 5.3 fish per net. Fish size was also typical for both the lake and the lake class with a mean length of 17.7 inches. Sizes were well distributed from 12.5 to 22.7 inches. Ages ranged from 1 to 11 years with the majority of walleyes being 2 and 6 years old. Northern Pike were sampled at a rate of 9.7 fish per gill net, exceeding the 75th percentile for the lake class and typical relative to historical surveys of the lake. Size was small for the lake class but similar to past surveys with a mean length of 20 inches. All pike sampled were less than 23 inches except for one standout fish just under 36 inches. Other species sampled were: Black Crappie, Bluegill, Bowfin, Common Carp, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

Turtle Lake (lake class 24) located in Shoreview has a surface acreage of 409 acres with 245 acres being littoral (60%) and a maximum depth of 28 feet. Most of the shoreline is developed as single-family homes. Ramsey County Parks operates a popular park facility in the southeast corner of the lake. Facilities include a picnic area, boat ramp and swimming beach. Water quality of Turtle Lake is relatively good with a secchi disc of 10 feet in 2019 and 6 feet in 2017. Beginning in 2020, a Largemouth Bass protected slot of 14-20 inch (with one over 20 inches allowed for harvest) has been implemented. The purpose of this regulation is to allow harvest of smaller bass with the expectation to shift the size structure of Largemouth Bass in the lake to a larger average size. The effectiveness of the protected slot will be evaluated in 2035. Also, Northern Pike anglers are to be aware of the zone management regulations for Northern Pike that went into effect in 2018. Turtle Lake is in the North-Central Zone and which allows a harvest of 10 fish with 2 allowed over 26 inches and a protected slot between 22 and 26 inches. Walleyes are the primary management species in the lake. Currently, 245 pounds of Walleye fingerlings are stocked annually. Walleyes were sampled in above average abundance with a size structure that is slightly above average for lakes similar to Turtle. Bluegill were sampled in moderate to low abundance. Black Crappies were also captured in moderate abundance and averaged 7.5 inches in length. Northern Pike were caught in good numbers with 7.7 per gill net set. Northern Pike averaged 20 inches in length and generally have a poor size structure when compared to other lakes like Turtle. Yellow Bullheads were caught at a median level in gill nets and averaged 12 inches with some quality 14 inch Yellow Bullhead present in Turtle Lake at this time.

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community in Turtle Lake was conducted by Fisheries Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff starting July 14, 2020. Ten sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 15-foot or 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all ten sites with one site sampled from the boat. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample nine sites and soft sediments with abundant vegetation and deep water prevented the use of seines at one sampling site. Nearshore sampling captured 15 native species of fish. Three of these species are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blacknose Shiner, and Iowa Darter) and one species is tolerant of disturbance (Green Sunfish). A summer trap net survey was conducted in conjunction with the targeted survey of the nearshore fish community. Bluegill dominated the trap net catch numbers, but only comprised approximately 26% of total trap net biomass. Of the Bluegills sampled, 16% were between 5 and 7 inches, 30% were over 7 inches and 6% were over 8 inches. The targeted survey of the nearshore fish community data were combined with the concurrently sampled summer trap net survey and gill net data from a July 2019 standard survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. The FIBI score for Turtle Lake from this survey is just below an impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey provides supporting evidence that the fish community in Turtle Lake is adversely impacted by stressors as indicated by FIBI scores. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Mississippi River - Twin Cities Watershed assessment of surface waters process completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

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

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Turtle. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Turtle has a maximum depth of 28 feet and a mean depth of 12 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Turtle is from 2025.

Yes — Turtle has confirmed Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.