East Crooked

East Crooked is located five miles north of Nevis in central Hubbard County. East Crooked has a surface area of 379 acres and a maximum depth of 96 feet. There is a state-owned public access located on the north end of the lake off Heritage Road. East Crooked is a clear-water lake with exceptional water quality. East Crooked is best known its Walleye population, but also provides opportunities for Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, and Panfish. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. East Crooked is in lake class 23. Class 23 lakes are generally clear, deep lakes with hard water and a small littoral zone (area of lake less than 15 feet in depth). Other class 23 lakes in the Park Rapids management area include Blue, Boot, and Eleventh Crow Wing Lake. Present and past surveys have shown that East Crooked supports a healthy Walleye population. Anglers will find good numbers of Walleye in the 14-20 inch size range. Big Walleyes are found in East Crooked with Walleye measured up to 31.1 inches. East Crooked has a Tullibee (Cisco) and Yellow Perch populations that provide an excellent forage base for producing large Walleye. Yellow Perch numbers have been down in recent surveys. East Crooked has a low to moderate Northern Pike population composed of medium to large-size fish. Sampled Northern Pike had an average length and weight of 20.8 inches and 2.1 lbs with fish measured up to 26.9 inches. Low to moderate Northern Pike numbers and a Tullibee (Cisco) population provide the conditions to produce large pike. While not know as a "bass-panfish" lake, East Crooked does supply angling opportunities for these species. Anglers will find moderate to high Smallmouth Bass population and moderate Largemouth Bass population in East Crooked. Good numbers of Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass in the 12-15 inch size range were sampled with Smallmouth Bass sampled up to 20.7 inches. East Crooked supports a moderate panfish population comprised of Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Pumpkinseed. The Black Cappie population in East Crooked fluctuated from low to moderate numbers. Black Crappie up to 13.7 inches were sampled. Anglers will find Bluegill and Pumpkinseed in the 6-7 inch size range. Other species sampled included Rock Bass, Yellow Bullhead, White Sucker, and Hybrid Sunfish. Currently no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in East Crooked. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants and animals form their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the lake.

A targeted survey of nearshore and littoral fish species in East Crooked Lake was conducted beginning on July 26th, 2021 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. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample eight stations and a 15-foot seine was used at two stations. Nearshore sampling captured 12 species of fish including four species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Iowa Darter, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass) and zero that are tolerant of disturbance. A concurrent summer trap net survey was conducted the week of July 26th, 2021 by IBI Program Staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline and in shallow offshore locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Bluegill comprised a majority of the trap net catch by number and biomass. Bluegill and Pumpkinseed counts per net were between the 25th and 50th quartile, while the Bluegill and Pumpkinseed mean weights were above the 75th quartile for similar Lake Class 23 lakes. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from an August 2017 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, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g. Green Sunfish, Fathead Minnows, 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 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.

East Crooked Lake is located five miles north of Nevis in central Hubbard County. East Crooked has a surface area of 379 acres and a maximum depth of 96 feet. There is a state owned public access located on the north end of the lake off Heritage Road. East Crooked is a clear-water lake with exceptional water quality. East Crooked is best known for its Walleye population, but also provides angling opportunities for Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, and Panfish. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. East Crooked is in lake class 23. Class 23 lakes are generally clear, deep lakes with hard water and a small littoral zone (area of lake less than 15 feet in depth). Other class 23 lakes in the Park Rapids management area include Blue, Boot, and Eleventh Crow Wing Lake. Present and past surveys have shown that East Crooked supports a healthy Walleye population. Anglers will find good numbers of Walleye in the 14-20 inch size range. Big Walleyes are found in East Crooked with Walleye measured up to 30.9 inches. East Crooked has populations of Tullibee (Cisco) and Yellow Perch that provide an excellent forage base for producing large Walleye. East Crooked has a low Northern Pike population composed of medium to large-sized fish. Sampled Northern Pike ranged in length from 20.41 to 37.0 inches. Low Northern Pike numbers and a Tullibee (Cisco) forage base provide the conditions to produce large Pike. While not know as a "bass-panfish" lake, East Crooked does supply angling opportunities for these species. Anglers will find a moderate Smallmouth Bass and a low to moderate Largemouth Bass population in East Crooked. The abundant sandy and gravel areas of East Crooked are more suited for Smallmouth Bass, while East Crooked has limited areas of submerged aquatic vegetation that Largemouth Bass and Panfish prefer. Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass up to 20.5 inches were sampled. East Crooked supports a moderate Panfish population, comprised of Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Pumpkinseed. Anglers will find Black Crappie in the 9-11 inch size range and Bluegill and Pumpkinseed in the 6-7 inch size range. Other species sampled included moderate numbers of Rock Bass, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead. Currently no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in East Crooked. 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 lake.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, and Northern Pike in East Crooked. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for East Crooked. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

East Crooked has a maximum depth of 96 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in East Crooked is from 2022.

No invasive species are on record for East Crooked in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.