Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest August 25, 2025
Species recorded at Crooked Lake
13 species on the Minnesota DNR list for this lake. A species on the list has been recorded here; it does not mean it is catchable today or in every part of the lake.
Stocking at Crooked Lake
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for this lake — which species went in, how many, and in which years. Read the years: a lake stocked in one year is not necessarily stocked in the next.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 25, 2025 caught 6.11 walleye per gill net at Crooked Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Crooked Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
12 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-25 (Targeted Survey).
12 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-25 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 30.46 | 5 in 2025-08-25 | 0.16 lb |
| Bluegill | 8.95 | 4–8 in 2025-08-25 | 0.17 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 7.39 | ||
| Largemouth Bass | 7.36 | 7–17 in 2025-08-25 | 1.12 lb |
| Spottail Shiner | 4.02 |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
From the 2025-08-25 survey
Crooked Lake (DOW# 11-0494; Lake Class 27) is a 565-acre lake, with 237 littoral acres, 3.7 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 74 feet located near Wilkinson, MN. There is a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) owned public access on the east shore of Welsh Lake and Crooked Lake is accessible…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Crooked Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — CrookedFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — CrookedFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Crooked Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 25, 2025 caught 6.11 walleye per gill net at Crooked Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 13 species for the lake in total. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Crooked Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Crooked Lake is dated August 25, 2025. Survey intervals vary by lake and by species; a gap of several years between surveys is normal and does not mean the record is missing.
Is Crooked Lake stocked?
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for Crooked Lake. It records which species were released, in what numbers and in which years — the source documents are linked further down this page. A lake can be stocked in some years and not others, so read the years rather than assuming an annual release.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Crooked Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Crooked Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Before you eat what you catch
Water-quality readings are not a consumption advisory. Mercury and PCB advice for Minnesota waters comes from MDH, and it is issued per species and per size class: a lake with clear, low-nutrient water can still carry a meal limit on larger predator fish.
Where to stay near Crooked Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Crooked Lake
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