Turtle Lake (Saskatchewan)
| Turtle Lake | |
|---|---|
| Location | Parkdale No. 498 / Mervin No. 499, Saskatchewan |
| Coordinates | 53°34′N 108°39′W / 53.567°N 108.650°WCoordinates: 53°34′N 108°39′W / 53.567°N 108.650°W |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 21 km (13 mi) |
| Max. width | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Settlements | Closest Cities are North Battleford and Lloydminster. |
Turtle Lake lies in the North-West of Saskatchewan, Canada and is fairly long (about 21 km) while also narrow (about 5 km across). The closest town is Livelong, and the closest cities are North Battleford, SK, and Lloydminster, AB. The lake takes its name from a Cree legend about a giant denizen in the lake, and locals sometimes still tell stories of a monster of some sort in its waters (see Turtle Lake Monster).
Turtle Lake's primary outlet is the Turtle River, which flows south into the North Saskatchewan River near the Michaud Islands, across the river from Delmas, Saskatchewan.
Turtle Lake has several species of fish, including Sturgeon, Northern Pike (Jackfish), Walleye (Pickerel) and Whitefish.
The fish stocking program at Turtle Lake started in 1927, and has been ongoing with some regularity over the past 80 years. Two species have been the focus of the stocking program in an effort to bolster their populations: walleye and lake whitefish.
Whitefish stocking started in 1927 and was discontinued in 1984. During this period, tens of millions of whitefish fry (newly hatched) were stocked. From 1932 – 1962, over 14 million walleye fry were stocked in the lake. The fisheries survey of 1964-65 indicated poor stocking success, so the stocking program was terminated. But due to high angler demand for walleye in the late 1960s, the walleye stocking program was re-introduced. From 1969 – 2004, another 22 million walleye fry as well as 461,300 walleye fingerlings (about 5 cm long) were stocked. Currently, Turtle Lake is stocked with approximately 500,000 walleye fry each spring.
There are many species of land animals in the Turtle Lake area ranging from squirrels, rabbits, and skunks to deer, moose, and the occasional black bear.
Turtle Lake is a heavily utilized recreational lake; with over 1500 cabins, the lake is dotted with several lakeside communities of cabin owners, including Turtle Lake Lodge, Indian Point, Golden Sands, Sunset View, Evergreen Acres, South Bay, Kopps Cove, Aspen Cove, Parkland Beach, Powm Beach, All Seasons Resort, Kivimaa-Moonlight Bay, and Horseshoe Bay. Most beaches have several permanent residents; few have cabins for rent. Prior to 2010, Turtle Lake Lodge had a store and rental cabins with some facilities. The land has since been sold for conversion to residential lots. Since the closure of the Turtle Lake Lodge store, South Bay was the only beach on the lake with store / gas / restaurant & lounge operations, which was ran during summer. Now there is a store with gas, bait and a few groceries open all year long at Moon Light bay.
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Wikipedia