Crooked Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota905 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Crooked Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 54 ft max depth
- Public access
Crooked Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 54 ft. Surface area: 905.49 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 4, 2025 caught 4.83 walleye per gill net at Crooked Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–30 inches. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Crooked Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 70 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Crooked Lake is a 905-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 54 feet (24-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 16 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Crooked Lake ranks #19 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Crooked Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water15 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing16 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 12
- Deep water54 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Crooked Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Crooked Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Crooked Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.9 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 15ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.9µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Crooked Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Crooked Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 76°F) and coldest in May (about 59°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (59°F) to its warmest (76°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 85 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Crooked Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 4, 2025 caught 4.83 walleye per gill net at Crooked Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–30 inches.
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 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
13 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-04 (Standard Survey).
13 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-04 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 20.30 | ||
| Smallmouth Bass | 19.03 | 3–20 in 2025-08-04 | 1.21 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 17.43 | 5–18 in 2025-08-04 | 0.96 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 16.01 | 5 in 2025-08-04 | 0.07 lb |
| Bluegill | 11.03 | 3–8 in 2025-08-04 | 0.14 lb |
| Walleye | 8.73 | 10–30 in 2025-08-04 | 2.14 lb |
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.
Smallmouth Bass
Largemouth Bass
Green Sunfish
Bluegill
From the 2025-08-04 survey
Clearwater Lake is a 905-acre lake near the city of Deerwood in Crow Wing County. The public access is located 4 miles south of Deerwood on Crow Wing County Road 8. Smallmouth Bass is the primary management species. Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye and Black Crappie are secondary management species. A standard…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Crooked Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ClearwaterFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Clearwater (0067)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — ClearwaterFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — ClearwaterPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
54 ft
Average depth
24 ft
Surface area
905 acres
Shoreline
8.5 mi
Littoral zone
28%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Crooked LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Crooked Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Crooked Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Crooked Lake
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Follow Crooked Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Crooked Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.66 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.01 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 12
Earliest Apr 3, 2017 · Latest May 12, 2013
Typical ice-in
Dec 1
Earliest Nov 21, 2014 · Latest Dec 20, 2001
Most recent ice-out
Apr 3
2017
34 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Crooked Lake
Where is Crooked Lake?
- Crooked Lake is a lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Crooked Lake?
- Crooked Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 54 ft. Surface area: 905.49 acres.
Is Crooked Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Crooked Lake?
- Crooked Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 85 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Crooked Lake?
- Crooked Lake has a maximum depth of 54 feet and an average depth of 24 feet. The lake covers 905.49 acres.
What fish are in Crooked Lake?
- Fish species found in Crooked Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Crooked Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Crooked Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 4, 2025 caught 4.83 walleye per gill net at Crooked Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–30 inches. 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 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Crooked Lake thaw?
- Crooked Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 12. Ice typically forms around Dec 1. The open water season is approximately 233 days.
Are there boat ramps on Crooked Lake?
- Crooked Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Crooked Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Crooked Lake?
- Crooked Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Crooked Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
191 measurements from 6 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA191 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (6)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate