Turtle Lake

Turtle Lake carries a solid B grade — strong on most parameters, with measurements that hold up well across the summer season. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

A TSI near 41 places Turtle Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. The lake bottoms out at 39 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. Turtle Lake covers 112 acres alongside 2.2 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Among the 17 graded lakes in Todd County, Turtle Lake sits at rank 7, above the county median.

Turtle Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2023, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Walleye are documented at Turtle Lake, one of 18 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Turtle Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.