
Crooked Lake vs Lake George
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake George has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Crooked Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Steuben County, Indiana.
Crooked Lake and Lake George are both in Indiana — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. The grades are meaningfully apart: Lake George grades a A while Crooked Lake grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Lake George is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Crooked Lake
No clarity data.
Lake George
Good clarity, visible to about 14.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Crooked Lake | Lake George |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) Better |
| Water Clarity | No data | 14.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 29 µg/L | 22 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.3 µg/L | 2 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 801 acres | 538 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Yes |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Crooked Lake or Lake George against a different lake.
Verdict
Lake George wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Crooked Lake's Grade C. For fishing diversity, Lake George also leads with 0 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.