If you’re under 18 and have a family member who is a TLA member, you can enter TLA’s Youth Catch & Release Fishing Contest to win great prizes!

To enter, just catch, measure, photograph, and release a fish from Turtle Lake from opening weekend through Labor Day.

Please practice good catch and release skills and minimize the time the fish is out of the water before releasing it. Keep the fish wet and don’t lay any fish on the ground or put the fish on a stringer before you release it. Let’s keep these fish healthy!

To enter, submit your online entry form with the following: 

1. Your name and age 
2. The name of your relative who is a member of TLA 
3. The date of the catch/release 
4. The length of your fish (optional)
5. Most importantly, your photo with the fish.

Questions? Email fish@turtlelakeassociation.org.
Have fun, and good luck fishing!

2025 Fishing Contest Results

Congrats to the talented young anglers who participated in the 2025 Turtle Lake Association Youth Catch and Release Contest! We had a lot of great entries this year and were pleased to see so many fish released back into Turtle Lake.

Clark Hagberg (grandson of Michael Hagberg) kicked off the contest with a nice 18” largemouth bass. The month of June was good to anglers Jace Hanson (grandson of John and Linda Hanson) and Simon Tieden (grandson of Mary and Brian Daniels), both of whom submitted nice bass.

July saw a great diversity of fish species from John Hafertepe’s grandchildren, including Charles Brown with a smallmouth, Anna Brown with a bluegill, and Tyler Brown with a rock bass! August was no slouch when it came to bass fishing either, as shown by the impressive smallmouth submitted by both Henry Wells and George Wells (grandsons of Scott and Laurie Bammann).

This year’s Bass Champion is Jack Crowley (grandson of Don Ostlie) who caught and released the biggest fish of the summer: a 20-inch smallmouth bass! Jack entered a 19.5-inch smallmouth as well—then passed his own leading entry with a giant 20-incher!

Thanks to all of our youth who practiced catch and release, and congrats on a great summer of fishing! We look forward to seeing you on the lake again next summer!