West Crooked

West Crooked is located seven miles north of Nevis in central Hubbard County. West Crooked has a surface area of 269 acres and a maximum depth of 50 feet. There is a county-owned public access located on the west shore of the lake. West Crooked provides angling opportunities for panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, and a bonus Walleye population. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 42 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. West Crooked is in lake class 25. Class 25 lakes are generally deep, clear, hard water lakes, with irregular shaped shorelines. Other class 25 lakes in the Park Rapids management area include: Bad Axe, Belle Taine, Eagle, Little Sand, Third Crow Wing, Island, Little Mantrap, and Ojibway. Panfish are a popular choice for anglers on West Crooked with good populations of Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Pumpkinseed. Anglers will find Black Crappie in the 9-10 inch size range and Bluegill in the 6-8 inch size range. West Crooked supports a healthy Largemouth Bass fishery, with good numbers and sizes of Largemouth Bass. Good water quality, aquatic vegetation cover, and spawning substrate provide excellent habitat for Largemouth Bass and panfish in West Crooked. Present and past surveys have shown an abundant Northern Pike population in West Crooked with the population dominated by smaller pike under 21 inches in length. Larger Northern Pike are present with fish measured up to 36.8 inches. Walleye were sampled in low numbers. Past surveys have shown the Walleye population to fluctuate from low to moderate levels. Currently no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in West 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.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in West Crooked Lake was conducted on August 10-12, 2020 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 seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all ten sampling stations, but three stations were sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample seven stations and site conditions prevented the use of seines at three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 11 species of fish including three species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, and Blacknose Shiner) and none that are tolerant of disturbance. A concurrent summer trap net survey was conducted by IBI Program staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured eight species of fish. Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Bullhead comprised a majority of the trap net catch by number. Similarly, Bluegill and Yellow Bullhead comprised a majority of the catch by biomass. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from a June 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., Blackchin Shiner and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). 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 during the Crow Wing River Watershed assessment process completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in West Crooked Lake was conducted on August 7, 2017 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 ten sampling stations, but four 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 four stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 12 species of fish including three species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, and Blacknose Shiner). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 2012 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. Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g. Black Bullhead, Common Carp, and Green Sunfish). 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 West Crooked Lake is in poor health as indicated by an FIBI score below 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.

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

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

West Crooked has a maximum depth of 50 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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