Crooked Lake

On the LakeGrade scale Crooked Lake grades a B, with clarity at 3.4 ft and 11 µg/L of phosphorus placing it above the Minnesota median. The lake's weakest score is on Secchi depth — the water looks more turbid than its phosphorus number alone would predict.

A TSI near 49 places Crooked Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. A maximum depth of just 4 ft means sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the water column whenever wind stirs the bottom — a classic shallow-lake dynamic. At 60 acres, Crooked Lake sits below the Minnesota median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Within Lake County's 142 graded lakes, Crooked Lake ranks 83 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

Zebra mussel presence at Crooked Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Crooked Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. No formal public access is documented at Crooked Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.