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Fishing Turtle Lake: what the data says
73-acre lake near Benzie County. The lake tops out around 20 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Walleye fishing at Turtle Lake
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. They move out to 6 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 20 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 20 ft, rated prime for winter walleye. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Yellow Perch fishing at Turtle Lake
Spring yellow perch on Turtle Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 6 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Back-bay flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Turtle Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 6 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Turtle Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Turtle Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Rock Bass fishing at Turtle Lake
Spring rock bass on Turtle Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 5 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for rock bass in summer. Plan around the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a ned rig (small) or a marabou jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + grub, Small inline spinner |
| Summer | 5 to 20 ft | dusk | Ned rig (small), Marabou jig |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Small tube jig, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + plastic, Small spoon + spike |
White Perch fishing at Turtle Lake
Spring white perch on Turtle Lake hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 6 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 6 to 20 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 20 ft, rated prime for summer white perch. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | dawn | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | dusk | Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes |
Turtle Lake also holds bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), freshwater drum (5 to 20 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 20 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Turtle Lake?
Turtle Lake is about 20 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Turtle Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, bluegill, yellow perch, freshwater drum, rock bass, white perch, pumpkinseed on Turtle Lake. This isn't a survey of the lake — none is on record for it — but an informed estimate from the species listed for the nearest surveyed lakes in the region, filtered to this lake's depth and habitat.
Where is the best fishing spot on Turtle Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in winter. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Turtle Lake?
For walleye, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Bronson Lake · Upper Woodcock Lake · Bass Lake · Ann, Lake · Bridge Lake · Green Lake
See how Turtle Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best walleye lakes in Michigan · best bluegill lakes in Michigan
Browse all Michigan fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.