Minnesota · Beltrami County

Little Turtle Lake Fishing guide

Little Turtle Lake sits in Beltrami County, Minnesota, and covers 469 acres, reaching 25 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 5.6 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 9 times, most recently in 2021, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 25 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface469 ac

Max depth25 ft

Clarity5.6 ft

Littoral64%

Surveyed2021

How to fish Little Turtle Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds.
Early summer: Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
Summer: Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure. With 64% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
Fall: Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.

Largemouth bass

Spring: Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn.
Early summer: Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
Summer: Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade. With 64% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
Fall: Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.

Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Walleye	Largemouth bass	Northern pike
2021	22"	16"	32"
2016	23"	19"	33"
2011	23"	16"	30"
2007	27"	18"	31"
2003	26"	19"	33"
1998	25"	18"	30"

Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.

Suggested tackle

What to bring

Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:

Walleye · Live bait

Slip Bobber + Leech

jumbo or large leech

4–20 ftdead slow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Trolling

Snap Weights + Stickbaits

4–5" suspending or slow-floating stickbait

10–35 fttrolling

Shop trolling stickbaits →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

Shop plastic worms →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Wacky-Rigged Stickworm

5" stickworm

1–12 ftdead slowweedless

Shop stickworms →

Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead

3–25 ftmoderate

Shop paddletail swimbaits →

Northern pike · Muskie & pike

Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)

10" soft rubber body bait

3–25 ftslow

Shop musky rubber →

Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2021 survey

Little Turtle Lake is a 469-acre lake, located 10 miles north of Bemidji, MN. A targeted survey was completed on Little Turtle Lake by Bemidji Area Fisheries staff during July of 2021 to assess the nearshore fish community and overall health of the lake.

In this survey, 10 nearshore sites (100-foot) were evenly spaced along the lakeshore to sample a variety of aquatic habitat types and collect a representative sample of the nearshore fish community. Depending on the habitat conditions at each site, backpack electrofishing and shoreline seining were attempted where possible. A total of seven sites were sampled with a seine, while backpack electrofishing was completed at all 10 sites. A total of 17 species of fish were sampled, which included six species (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Northern Sunfish, and Pugnose Shiner) that are intolerant to disturbance or poor water quality.

Read the full DNR narrative

Nearshore fish community data was analyzed with information collected from standard survey completed in 2021 to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biologic Integrity (FIBI) score to measure the biological condition and overall health of Little Turtle Lake. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and healthy habitat (e.g. Blackchin Shiner, Tullibee (cisco), Least Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g. Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, and Green Sunfish). The combination of fish species present may identify stressors negatively affecting the lake environment. The FIBI score is composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics to indicate the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website (www.mndnr.gov).

Results of this survey indicate Little Turtle Lake is in great health with a FIBI score well above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. In coordination with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, data from this survey will contribute towards the assessment of the Mississippi River (Headwaters) Watershed with biological information about the health of the fish community.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Little Turtle Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Little Turtle Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.

Open the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report

Beltrami County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

DNR access: Access via river channel from Big Turtle Lake

DNR bathymetry

Little Turtle Lake depth map

Little Turtle Lake depth contour map, Beltrami County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 25 ft from Minnesota DNR bathymetry, free to save or print. The live map adds ranked spots and conditions on the same contours.

Within 30 miles

Nearby lakes

Turtle Lake · 1,607 ac · 1.7 mi
Julia Lake · 511 ac · 2.2 mi
Campbell Lake · 463 ac · 2.6 mi
Black Lake · 271 ac · 3.3 mi
Movil Lake · 855 ac · 3.4 mi
Long Lake · 664 ac · 4.1 mi
Three Island Lake · 730 ac · 4.2 mi
Beltrami Lake · 726 ac · 4.7 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Little Turtle Lake?

Little Turtle Lake reaches 25 ft at its deepest point; about 64% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Little Turtle Lake?

Little Turtle Lake covers 469 acres with about 5.6 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Little Turtle Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Little Turtle Lake average 5.6 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Little Turtle Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2021) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.

Is Little Turtle Lake stocked?

No stocking is on record for Little Turtle Lake in the DNR's stocking database.

Does Little Turtle Lake have a public access?

Yes. Little Turtle Lake has one public access site: DNR access (Access via river channel from Big Turtle Lake).

How big do walleye get in Little Turtle Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 22"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1998.

When was Little Turtle Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Little Turtle Lake in 2021, the most recent of 9 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Little Turtle Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Little Turtle Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report