Little Turtle Depth Map & Fishing Spots (Aitkin County, MN)

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Lake depth chart

Little Turtle, MN

Max 46 ft

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Where to start

Fall shiner run window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Fall shiner runActive window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Oct 31 · colder nights and shortening days start the push in early September — shiners slide out of open water toward warmer shallows and run up the rivers; the Rainy River run off Lake of the Woods is the marquee version

adultdaylight for the jig bite; after dark the shiners stack under dock lights with walleyes and pike mixed right in — follow the bait, not the spot — millions of shiners move together and the predators ride with them; silver profile and flash matter

Concentrates hard but travels — the school (and the walleyes under it) can be off a river mouth one week and miles upriver the next.

Jig-and-minnow is the event's signature — a frozen emerald shiner on a 1/4 oz jig drifted along the run; silver jerkbaits and trolled crankbaits take the roaming fish; blade baits under the schools.

The event happens over river mouths and the first miles upriver, warming shallow shorelines, and rocky points where the displaced bait stacks

Fall frog migrationActive window

Typical here: Sep 25 – Nov 10 · frogs leave the marshes and sloughs for deeper wintering water as fall cools — the corroborated core is October; the funnels are the connections between marsh and main lake

adultevenings into after dark, where the marsh meets the lake — a funnel event — frogs cross from marshy shallows into the larger, deeper neighboring water and burrow into the soft bottom; fish the crossing, not the marsh

A short, place-specific buffet: predators stage where the frog traffic crosses — inlet mouths, culverts, the marsh-to-lake throat.

A weedless hollow-body frog worked slow across the marsh mouth at dusk; after dark, a slow-rolled swimbait or a bottom rig fished right on the soft bottom off the opening.

The event happens over the throats between marshes and the main lake — inlet mouths, culvert channels, soft-bottom bays just off the weeds

Next on this water

Hex (giant mayfly) · mayflyJun 15 – Aug 15 · in ~8 months

Know the rules

Minnesota DNR fishing regulations Buy a license

Minnesota season openers

Southeast trout	Jan 1, 2026	Southeastern inland streams
Stream trout	Apr 11, 2026	Statewide inland streams
Fishing opener	May 9, 2026	Minnesota waters
Muskellunge	Jun 6, 2026	Minnesota waters
Fishing opener (2027)	May 15, 2027	Minnesota waters

From the MN DNR seasons page (2026-08-10). Special regulations override statewide rules on many waters.

Seasons, limits and license rules vary by water and change every year — always check the official rules before you fish.

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Depth · ft

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Recent catches at Little Turtle

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Fishing Little Turtle: what the data says

10-acre lake near Aitkin County. The lake tops out around 46 ft. This chart interpolates between a real shoreline and a known maximum depth. It will point you at likely water, but it is not a navigation product. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

The outline encloses 10 acres, worked by 0.6 miles of shoreline. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1.3) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 30% of this chart, as modeled. Aitkin County claims this one. Diamond sits 1 mi north — the closest neighbouring chart.

Northern Pike fishing at Little Turtle

When the water first warms, northern pike slide up into 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 12 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	open water	#5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white)
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (12 ft)	Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (12 ft)	Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait
Winter	5 to 15 ft	midday	Main-lake point (12 ft)	Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at Little Turtle

Come spring, look for bluegill tight to the bank in 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 21 ft that scores good in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	open water	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Break off the point (21 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Break off the point (21 ft)	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Notable structure

Count 3 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 39 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 39 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 21 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 12 ft

Little Turtle fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Minnesota waters are set by the Minnesota DNR — and special regulations can apply to Little Turtle specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Minnesota fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Little Turtle?

Little Turtle is about 46 ft (14 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in Little Turtle?

Anglers target northern pike, bluegill on Little Turtle.

Where is the best fishing spot on Little Turtle?

Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 12 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in fall. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Little Turtle?

For northern pike, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

What are the fishing regulations for Little Turtle?

Fishing on Little Turtle is regulated by the Minnesota DNR. Check the official Minnesota regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Diamond 1 mi · Spirit 1 mi · Ripple 1 mi · Lone 1 mi · Hanging Kettle 2 mi · Hickory 2 mi · Bachelor 3 mi · Elm Island 3 mi · Little Pine 3 mi · Nord 3 mi · Round 3 mi · Raspberry 3 mi

See how Little Turtle stacks up: best northern pike lakes in Minnesota · best bluegill lakes in Minnesota

More water nearby: Aitkin County fishing maps (110 charts). Browse all Minnesota fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.