By Steve Weisman

When I first moved to Estherville in 1978, one of the obvious draws as an outdoor person was the Iowa Great Lakes. There were so many sloughs, ponds and lakes to explore and to fish. Many of these required boats, but there were a lot of areas to fish from shore.

As I explored West Lake Okoboji, I quickly learned how great a fishery it was, and one of the coolest areas for me was Turtle Lake. Located just east of the Crescent Beach resort, it actually connects to Millers Bay, Emerson Bay, and Spencer Beach via three different small canals.

As a lake it’s small and was created in the early 1900s as part of a canal system and actually worked as kind of a buffer, a form of sediment retention water body.

When I arrived back in ’78, it was one of my go-to fish-from-the-shore. It was only 60 or so years into its existence, so it was still pretty resilient.

Shallow, only about 6-7 feet deep in the middle at that time, the water was clear and warmed quickly in the spring…what a bluegill, crappie and largemouth bass mecca! The myriad of docks only added to the fish “structure.” There is a private side (north) with cabins, and permission is needed to access the docks. However, the west side, south side and east side are open to the public.

As soon as the ice went out, we began to check for the bluegills to arrive. From April through May, it was so awesome. Of course, the bass anglers would work Turtle Lake pitching their baits up shallow around the docks. Then in June, I’d take a boat in and anchor out in the deeper water and still catch nice gills!

When my son, Curt was only five years old, he started tagging along on the docks on the south side (with his life jacket on-which he didn’t much appreciate!) Then my grandson, Hunter began tagging along at about the same age. I can’t count how many friends and their children I took there. On the surface, things appeared to be good.

HOWEVER…

Slowly, ever so slowly things began to change, and Turtle Lake began to struggle. Sediment began to build up, and depth began to change (for the worse). Vegetation, which once  drew the fish, began to choke the lake. Soon, the clear water became green, and when you cast a bobber and bait or a bass lure, it’d come back with green slime all over it.

The really nice fish began to “not” frequent Turtle Lake, and the sediment kept building to the point that it is now difficult to even get a boat through the lake.  For the past 4-5 years, my son, grandson and I will always check it out  in early spring (hoping for a return of the old days), but we always leave disappointed.

BUT…there appears to be a chance that “we could turn the switch” and take things back…with the chance to make Turtle Lake what it was for so many decades.

The chance to turn the switch

A group of concerned citizens, conservationists and lake homeowners have come together to form the Save the Turtle Lake Committee to raise funds for dredging the lake and a portion of the canals to “turn the switch” and preserve this beautiful wetland area. The committee has begun their media blitz, and they approached me about helping spread the word.

My thought to this, why not? We’ve successfully restored shallow water lakes across the state of Iowa and successfully dredged areas on Five Island Lake and Storm Lake. All have come at a price. This group has great determination to see this happen and has already raised a little more than $350,000 of the needed $750,000, which is a great start!

So, why not? On this same page, you will find the committee’s story on the idea behind this and the appeal for folks to become part of the answer. If funds are raised, the plan would be to commence the work in the fall of 2025!

Here is a statement from the Save the Turtle Lake Committee…” Let’s come together to save Turtle Lake and ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy kayaking, paddle boarding, and fishing in this wonderful recreational area!”

Aerial view of Turtle Lake located on the backside (north) of Emerson Bay. (photo by Blue View Imagery)