Crookneck Lake
Morrison County, Minnesota191 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Crookneck Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 22 ft max depth
- Public access
Crookneck Lake in Morrison County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 22 ft. Surface area: 191.2 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 24, 2023 caught 0.25 northern pike per trap net at Crookneck Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 17–22 inches. DNR survey details →
Crookneck Lake is a 191-acre mesotrophic lake in Morrison County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 22 feet (9-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 7 other monitored lakes in Morrison County, Crookneck Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Crookneck Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.2 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing13 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate 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 Crookneck 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 Crookneck Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Crookneck Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 11.2 ft. Phosphorus 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8.2 µg/L. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 22µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 8.2µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Crookneck Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Crookneck Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 81°F) and coldest in May (about 61°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (61°F) to its warmest (81°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 37 field readings (2011–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Crookneck Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 24, 2023 caught 0.25 northern pike per trap net at Crookneck Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 17–22 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Crookneck 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
11 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-07-24 (Targeted Survey).
11 surveys on file · most recent 2023-07-24 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 95.15 | 2–7 in 2023-07-24 | 0.09 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 17.22 | 3–7 in 2023-07-24 | 0.13 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 12.72 | 6–18 in 2023-07-24 | 1.41 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 10.67 | 7–13 in 2023-07-24 | 0.7 lb |
| Northern Pike | 7.53 | 17–22 in 2023-07-24 | 2.1 lb |
| Black Crappie | 6.62 | 5–9 in 2023-07-24 | 0.22 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.
Bluegill
Pumpkinseed
Largemouth Bass
Brown Bullhead
From the 2023-07-24 survey
A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community in Crookneck Lake was conducted by Fisheries Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff from 24-25 July 2023. Ten sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 15-foot or 50-foot seine, where…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Crookneck Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — CrookneckFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Crookneck (1915)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — CrookneckPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
22 ft
Average depth
8.9 ft
Surface area
191 acres
Shoreline
2.8 mi
Littoral zone
69%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,270 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Crookneck LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Crookneck Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Crookneck Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Crookneck 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
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.86 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.2 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Morrison County
Frequently asked questions about Crookneck Lake
Where is Crookneck Lake?
- Crookneck Lake is a lake in Morrison County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Crookneck Lake?
- Crookneck Lake in Morrison County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 22 ft. Surface area: 191.2 acres.
Is Crookneck 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 Crookneck Lake?
- Crookneck Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September, from 37 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Crookneck Lake?
- Crookneck Lake has a maximum depth of 22 feet and an average depth of 8.9 feet. The lake covers 191.2 acres.
What fish are in Crookneck Lake?
- Fish species found in Crookneck Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Crookneck Lake is located in Morrison County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Crookneck Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 24, 2023 caught 0.25 northern pike per trap net at Crookneck Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 17–22 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Crookneck 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.
Are there boat ramps on Crookneck Lake?
- Crookneck Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Crookneck Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Crookneck Lake?
- Crookneck 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 Crookneck Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
179 measurements from 2 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
MNPCA179 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 (2)
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory