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| Nearest Town: Puposky Primary County: Beltrami |
Survey Date: 07/23/2007 Inventory Number: 04015500 |
| Ownership | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| DNR | Channel |
| Special and/or Experimental Fishing Regulations exist on this lake. Please refer to our online Minnesota Fishing Regulations. |
|
Lake Area (acres): 465.03 |
Dominant Bottom Substrate: N/A |
| Did you know? Habitat acquisition of lands next to lakes and streams protects spawning areas and shoreline vegetation, and it increases access to fishing waters. |
| Species | Number of fish per net | Average Fish Weight (lbs) |
Normal Range (lbs) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caught | |||||
| Black Crappie | Trap net | 2.33 | 0.9 - 8.0 | 0.72 | 0.2 - 0.5 |
| Gill net | 1.33 | 0.8 - 8.4 | 0.68 | 0.1 - 0.3 | |
| Bluegill | Trap net | 15.33 | 5.9 - 43.3 | 0.55 | 0.1 - 0.3 |
| Gill net | 0.44 | N/A | 0.64 | N/A | |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Trap net | 0.44 | 0.3 - 1.1 | 5.73 | 3.0 - 4.5 |
| Gill net | 0.44 | 0.3 - 1.5 | 5.97 | 2.7 - 4.6 | |
| Brown Bullhead | Trap net | 2.44 | 0.6 - 5.2 | 1.36 | 0.4 - 0.9 |
| Gill net | 0.78 | 0.5 - 5.5 | 1.50 | 0.4 - 1.0 | |
| Hybrid Sunfish | Trap net | 0.67 | N/A | 0.77 | N/A |
| Largemouth Bass | Trap net | 0.11 | 0.3 - 1.0 | 3.31 | 0.3 - 1.2 |
| Gill net | 0.22 | 0.3 - 1.5 | 2.40 | 0.4 - 1.1 | |
| Northern Pike | Trap net | 2.67 | N/A | 1.90 | N/A |
| Gill net | 22.67 | 2.3 - 9.2 | 1.79 | 1.5 - 2.7 | |
| Pumpkinseed | Trap net | 4.78 | 1.5 - 9.1 | 0.47 | 0.1 - 0.2 |
| Gill net | 0.56 | N/A | 0.38 | N/A | |
| Rock Bass | Trap net | 1.11 | 0.3 - 1.0 | 0.79 | 0.2 - 0.6 |
| Gill net | 0.33 | 0.3 - 1.1 | 0.83 | 0.2 - 0.5 | |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Gill net | 0.78 | 0.9 - 4.4 | 1.07 | 1.3 - 1.8 |
| Walleye | Trap net | 0.56 | 0.3 - 0.8 | 4.30 | 1.0 - 3.6 |
| Gill net | 6.67 | 1.2 - 5.3 | 0.99 | 1.1 - 2.6 | |
| White Sucker | Trap net | 0.44 | 0.3 - 1.3 | 3.39 | 1.6 - 2.9 |
| Gill net | 3.22 | 0.5 - 3.3 | 2.47 | 1.6 - 2.4 | |
| Yellow Bullhead | Trap net | 0.89 | 2.4 - 9.1 | 1.25 | 0.5 - 0.8 |
| Gill net | 0.56 | 1.0 - 8.0 | 1.45 | 0.4 - 0.7 | |
| Yellow Perch | Trap net | 1.89 | 0.5 - 3.7 | 0.10 | 0.1 - 0.3 |
| Gill net | 9.67 | 3.7 - 28.4 | 0.10 | 0.1 - 0.2 | |
| Species | Number of fish caught in each category (inches) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-5 | 6-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-19 | 20-24 | 25-29 | 30+ | Total | |
| black crappie | 0 | 11 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| bluegill | 10 | 96 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 142 |
| bowfin (dogfish) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| brown bullhead | 0 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 |
| hybrid sunfish | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| largemouth bass | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| northern pike | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 85 | 121 | 14 | 1 | 228 |
| pumpkinseed | 6 | 39 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| rock bass | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| tullibee (cisco) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| walleye | 0 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 65 |
| white sucker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| yellow bullhead | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| yellow perch | 71 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 104 |
| For the record, the largest White Sucker taken in Minnesota weighed 9 lbs., 1 oz. and was caught:
When: 5/1/83 Statistics: 24.25" length, 16.25" girth |
No fish consumption guidelines are available for this lake. For more information, see the "Fish Consumption Advice" pages at the Minnesota Department of Health.
Little Turtle Lake is a 464-acre lake with a maximum depth of 25 feet located in southern Beltrami County. It is one of several lakes on the Turtle River chain of lakes. There is no public access on Little Turtle Lake, however, boaters can access the lake by river channel from Big Turtle Lake. The public access on Big Turtle Lake is on the west side of the lake off of county road 15.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Minnesota lakes into 43 different lake classes based on physical and chemical characteristics. Little Turtle Lake is in lake class 34. With the exception of carp and black bullhead, all species of fish typically found in a lake class 34 fish community are found in Little Turtle Lake. However due to connectivity with other basins Little Turtle functions somewhat differently than typical class 34 lakes. No stocking of any species occurs in Little Turtle Lake but walleye abundance tends to exceed the normal range for this lake class. Natural reproduction may be a contributing factor with some quality spawning substrate in the Turtle River. Migration of stocked walleye from connected basins my also be contributing.
Little Turtle is included in a special northern pike regulation consistent for all lakes on the Turtle River chain. The regulation requires anglers to immediately release all pike from 24-36 inches, with only one over 36 inches allowed. This regulation, implemented in 2003, is intended to improve the quality of pike population and help maintain a more balanced predator population. A long-term objective of the protected size regulation is to eventually shift the population from a high-density small pike population to a lower density population of larger pike.
In the fifth year of this special pike regulation abundance has more than doubled since the previous assessment in 2003. This appears to be in direct contrast to the regulation objectives. However, the increase in abundance has little to do with the regulation since the majority (90%) of the pike sampled are under the protected size range. When the regulation was implemented few fish were large enough to benefit from the protected size. It will take a number of years of young fish growing into the protected range to retain some of the quality that has been lost. Only when significant improvement can be gained in 24-36 inch fish can we expect some suppression of smaller fish.
Little Turtle is probably better known as a panfish lake with good populations of crappie, bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish. Bluegill abundance continues to improve and quality is excellent with almost 80% of bluegill sampled greater than eight inches in length. In order to maintain this quality, anglers are encouraged to show some voluntary restraint when bluegill are biting well. By practicing selective harvest, anglers can harvest the smaller more abundant bluegill for eating, and release more of the medium to large fish. This will help maintain balance in the population and increase the opportunity to catch large bluegill in the future.
Development pressure is increasing around the shoreline and within the watershed on Minnesota lakes. This can degrade water quality and impact valuable shoreline habitat. Native shoreline vegetation provides habitat for fish and wildlife, filters harmful nutrients, and protects against shoreline erosion. Lakeshore owners can minimize their impact on the shoreline and maintain a more natural setting while actually decreasing annual maintenance. For more information on how to accomplish this, contact the nearest Area Fisheries office or go to the following website: www.dnr.state.mn.us/shorelandmgmt. ?
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For more information on this lake, contact:
Area Fisheries Supervisor | Lake maps can be obtained from: Minnesota Bookstore |
For general DNR Information, contact: DNR Information Center 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155-4040 TDD: (651) 296-6157 or (888) MINNDNR Internet: www.dnr.state.mn.us E-Mail: info.dnr@state.mn.us |  Turn in Poachers (TIP):Toll-free: (800) 652-9093 |
© 2010
MN Department of Natural Resources
