Crooked Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota77 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Crooked Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 35 ft max depth
- Public access
Crooked Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 35 ft. Surface area: 77.08 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 1, 2022 caught 114.88 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Crooked Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–15 inches. DNR survey details →
Crooked Lake is a 77-acre mesotrophic lake in Stearns County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 35 feet (14-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). Public access is available. Compared to the 31 other monitored lakes in Stearns County, Crooked Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-01. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Crooked Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water15.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing10 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 8
- Deep water35 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 15.5 ft down. Phosphorus 16 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.2 µg/L. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 15.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 16µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.2µg/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. | 40 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Crooked Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Crooked Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 63°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 65°F) and coldest in May (about 58°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (58°F) to its warmest (65°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 721 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Crooked Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 1, 2022 caught 114.88 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Crooked Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–15 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
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-06-01 (Targeted Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2022-06-01 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 44.96 | 7–15 in 2022-06-01 | 0.73 lb |
| Bluegill | 41.16 | 2–8 in 2016-06-29 | 0.12 lb |
| Northern Pike | 5.46 | 12–27 in 2016-06-29 | 1.14 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 5.45 | 6–13 in 2016-06-29 | 0.67 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 4.74 | 4–8 in 2016-06-29 | 0.18 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 4.67 | 4–7 in 2016-06-29 | 0.14 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.
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Northern Pike
Yellow Bullhead
From the 2022-06-01 survey
Long and Crooked Lakes are small, interconnected lakes located three miles southwest of the City of Clearwater. Long Lake is 49 acres and has a maximum depth of 38 feet, while Crooked Lake is 65 acres with a maximum depth of 35 feet. The lakes are connected by a navigable channel on the south end of Long Lake. A…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Crooked Lake. 1 report 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
Lake Details
Max depth
35 ft
Average depth
14 ft
Surface area
77 acres
Shoreline
2.3 mi
Littoral zone
47%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
28 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
965 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Crooked Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Crooked Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Crooked Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.3 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 8
Earliest Apr 3, 2007 · Latest Apr 20, 2022
Most recent ice-out
Apr 20
2022
5 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Stearns County
Frequently asked questions about Crooked Lake
Where is Crooked Lake?
- Crooked Lake is a lake in Stearns 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 Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 35 ft. Surface area: 77.08 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 64°F at the surface in October, from 721 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Crooked Lake?
- Crooked Lake has a maximum depth of 35 feet and an average depth of 14 feet. The lake covers 77.08 acres.
What fish are in Crooked Lake?
- Fish species found in Crooked Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow bullhead. Crooked Lake is located in Stearns County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Crooked Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 1, 2022 caught 114.88 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Crooked Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–15 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 8.
Can I fish at Crooked Lake?
- Public access to Crooked Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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
153 measurements from 3 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
MNPCA153 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate