Fourth Crow Wing

Fourth Crow Wing Lake is located eight miles south of Nevis in southern Hubbard County. Fourth Crow Wing is part of a chain of lakes running from Eleventh Crow Wing Lake at the headwaters, down to First Crow Wing Lake. Fourth Crow Wing Lake has a surface area of 441 acres and a maximum depth of 10 feet. A DNR-owned public access is located on the east shore of the lake off West Island Lake Road. Boating access is also available through a narrow channel from Third Crow Wing Lake. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Fourth Crow Wing Lake is in Lake Class 39. Class 39 lakes are generally shallow with a high littoral area (less than 15 feet deep), and a regularly shaped shoreline. Other class 39 lakes in the Park Rapids area include: First Crow Wing, Ham, Hennepin, Loon, Minnie, Paine, Peysenski, Portage, Rice, Shallow, Upper Twin, Wolf, Hungryman and Stocking. Fourth Crow Wing Lake supports a healthy panfish population and can provide good fishing for Bluegill, Pumpkinseed and Black Crappie. Bluegills were sampled in good numbers, similar to past surveys. Anglers will find most Bluegill and Pumpkinseed in the 5.5 - 9 inch size range, with an average length of 7.0 inches. A special regulation of a daily limit of 5 for Bluegill was implemented in 2021. The objective of the lowered bag limit is to spread out the harvest and allow for more fish to attain larger sizes (8-10 inches). The Black Crappie catch rate was on the lower end when compared to other local lakes. Black Crappie size averaged 8.9 inches, with fish up to 10.5 inches sampled. Yellow Perch were sampled in low numbers. Most fish ranged from 5.5 to 7.0 inches, with a few approaching 9.5 inches. Largemouth Bass were a good size, but in fairly low numbers. They were an average length of 14.2 inches, with fish sampled up to 15.8 inches. Anglers can expect to find an abundant population of Northern Pike in Fourth Crow Wing Lake. Northern Pike were an average length and weight of 20.3 inches and 2.2 pounds, with the largest measured at 38 inches. Fourth Crow Wing Lake was listed in 2011 as infested with faucet snails, an aquatic invasive species (AIS). To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Fourth Crow Wing Lake was conducted beginning on July 1st, 2019 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 10 sampling stations, but five stations were sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample three stations, a 15-foot seine was used at two stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at five stations. Nearshore sampling captured 20 species of fish including six species that were intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blacknose Shiner, Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, Least Darter, and Pugnose Shiner) and zero that were tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from the week of June 3rd, 2019 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g. Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g. Black Bullhead and Common Carp). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey indicates Fourth Crow Wing Lake is in good health as indicated by an FIBI score above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Crow Wing River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Fourth Crow Wing Lake is located eight miles South of Nevis in southern Hubbard County. Fourth Crow Wing is part of a chain of lakes running from Eleventh Crow Wing Lake at the headwaters, down to First Crow Wing Lake. Fourth Crow Wing Lake has a surface area of 441 acres and a maximum depth of 10 feet. A public access is located on the east shore of the lake off West Island Lake Road. Boating access is also available through a narrow channel from Third Crow Wing Lake. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Fourth Crow Wing Lake is in Lake Class 39. Class 39 lakes are generally shallow with a high littoral area (less than 15 feet in depth), and a regularly shaped shoreline. Other class 39 lakes in the Park Rapids area include: First Crow Wing, Ham, Hennepin, Loon, Minnie, Paine, Peysenski, Portage, Shallow, Upper Twin, Hungryman and Stocking. Fourth Crow Wing Lake supports a healthy panfish population and can provide good fishing for Bluegill, Black Crappie and Yellow Perch. Bluegills were sampled in good numbers, similar to past surveys. Anglers will find most Bluegill and Pumpkinseed in the 5.5 - 9 inch size range, with an average length of 7.2 inches. The Black Crappie catch rate was down, and on the low end when compared to other local lakes. Crappie size averaged 9.2 inches, with fish up to 12 inches sampled. Yellow Perch were sampled in average numbers. Most fish ranged from 5.5 to 8.5 inches, with a few approaching 9.5 inches. Sampling showed Largemouth Bass were a very good size, but in fairly low numbers. They were an average length of 18.7 inches, with fish sampled over 20 inches. Anglers can expect to find a very abundant population of Northern Pike in Fourth Crow Wing Lake. Northern Pike were an average length and weight of 19 inches and 1.7 pounds, with the largest measured at 35 inches in 2019. Fourth Crow Wing Lake was listed in 2011 as infested with faucet snails, an aquatic invasive species (AIS). To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Pumpkinseed in Fourth Crow Wing. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Fourth Crow Wing. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Fourth Crow Wing has a maximum depth of 10 feet and a mean depth of 5 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Fourth Crow Wing is from 2024.

Yes — Fourth Crow Wing has confirmed faucet snail. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.