Crystal

Crystal Lake is a 102-acre, class 31 lake located in central Polk County about four miles southwest of Erskine. It has a maximum depth of 30 feet. At the time of this report, the DNR Section of Wildlife was in the process of acquiring some property on the south shore to establish a Wildlife Management Area. In preparation for this, a targeted fisheries survey was conducted with trap nets in May 2025 to assess the panfish populations in Crystal Lake. Anglers will find quality populations of Bluegill and Black Crappie in Crystal Lake. Bluegills over nine inches were sampled and 20% of the Bluegills caught were over eight inches. Black Crappie ranged from ten inches to 13.5 inches, but crappies up to 15 inches have been sampled in past surveys. Three Northern Pike and four Walleye were also captured in the trap nets. Pike measured up to 28 inches and averaged 26 inches. The largest Walleye was 25.5 inches and averaged 22.5 inches. Yellow Perch and hybrid sunfish were also caught in the trap nets. In addition, Largemouth Bass were observed in the shallows while setting nets. These data will be used to determine the future of fisheries management on Crystal Lake.

Crystal Lake is a 102-acre, class 31 lake located in central Polk County about four miles southwest of Erskine. It has a maximum depth of 30 feet. The lakeshore had previously been entirely privately owned, but a DNR Wildlife Management Area has been established on the south shore, enabling public access. The lake has only been surveyed twice, the most recent in 2009. A targeted fisheries survey was conducted in early September 2024 to assess the fish populations in Crystal Lake. In the single gill net, five fish species were sampled. Northern Pike was the most abundant species captured in the gill net with 19 caught. This is almost 4 times as many as the 2009 survey. Pike averaged 20.5 inches and the longest was 28 inches. Only four Walleyes were sampled in 2024, down from 19 sampled in 2009. Walleyes averaged almost 22 inches and the longest was a little over 24 inches. Trap nets sampled primarily Bluegills. The catch rate was 9.4 Bluegills per set, nearly identical to 9.8 per set in 2009. Bluegills in trap nets averaged 4.5 inches and the longest was 7.5 inches. An additional 17 Bluegills were caught in the gill nets. These fish averaged five inches and one fish measured 8.6 inches. Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass were also caught in the nets. Three crappies were caught in the gill net with the longest measuring ten inches. Three additional crappies were caught in the trap nets with the longest only measuring five inches. Eight Largemouth Bass were caught in gill nets and average 15 inches. The longest bass measured was 16.5 inches.

Crystal is a 102-acre, 30-foot deep lake located in central Polk County. There is no public access and reportedly just one riparian landowner. There are just two homes near the lake's shoreline. Both located along the northwest shore. Ecologically, the lake is best suited for northern pike, bass, and panfish. These are all present in Crystal Lake, but excluding bluegills, the most abundant species in experimental nets was walleye. Walleyes averaged a very nice 18.7 inches and 2.3 pounds. Most were attributed to a single year class, the 2004. Other species (including black crappie and bluegill) tended to be small and young. Populations of these species showed signs of overfishing, even though access is limited. It is possible, however, that larger and older fish were located in deeper water at the time where they would not be vulnerable to capture in trap nets.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Black Crappie, Walleye, Pumpkinseed, Northern Pike, and Hybrid Sunfish in Crystal. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Crystal. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Crystal has a maximum depth of 30 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Crystal is from 2025.

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