Turtle Lake near Hawley: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Turtle Lake stands in Clay County, Minnesota. The bank is 1,355 feet above sea level. At about 182 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The full circuit measures close to 2.1 miles on foot. On our Clay County list it sits near the top for size. The town to know is Hawley, 9.6 miles out. It is 30 miles to Fargo, the nearest city. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Turtle Lake

  Sounding records show water to about 83 feet. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Open biodiversity records for Clay County list bluegill, yellow perch, black crappie, northern pike and largemouth bass. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Read Turtle Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 69°F and January near 5°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Anyone fishing Turtle Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Long Lake sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. What applies at Turtle Lake may have changed since it was mapped.