Crawford

Crawford Lake is a 109 acre lake located five miles south of the city of Buffalo in Wright County. The lake is shallow (max. depth of 19 feet) with a history of winterkill. The lake was reclaimed using rotenone in 1998, but not all bullheads were killed. An aeration system was purchased and has been used since 2001 to prevent winterkill, but the system failed in 2014 and a partial winterkill occurred. Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish (to control bullheads), Largemouth Bass, Walleye, and Yellow Perch have been stocked since then. In 2021, a standard lake survey was completed to track the recovery of the fishery. The Walleye catch rate was identical to that of 2009, and within the range of expected values for similar lakes. Walleye fingerling and adult stocking occurred in 2017, 2019 and 2021. The average length of Walleye was 16 inches. Northern Pike were sampled for the first time since the reclamation at a rate well above the expected range of values for similar lakes. Northern Pike were not stocked by the DNR after the lake was reclaimed in 1998 and it is not known how they were introduced into the lake. Pike ranged in length from 15 to 33 inches with an average length and weight of 22 inches and 2.6 pounds. The Largemouth Bass population is still recovering from the partial winterkill of 2014. Fifty-six minutes of day-time electrofishing on June 4, 2021 produced a catch of 83 bass. Largemouth ranged in length from 6 to 14 inches with an average length of 10 inches. Nine percent of bass were greater than 12 inches in length. Bluegill were abundant as the catch was above the range of expected values and more than that of 2009. Only one of the Bluegill sampled in 2021 was larger than seven inches in length which was similar to conditions prior to the winterkill. Despite the special regulations a memorable sunfish fishery has not developed. The gill net catch rate of Black Crappie was above the first quartile for the lake class, however no crappie were sampled in trap nets and only three in gill nets. This was similar to 2009 when the catch was also low. The crappie fishery has never developed since the reclamation perhaps because of the mesotrophic nature of Crawford Lake. The Black Bullhead catch has increased since 2009. Of the 43 bullheads sampled in gill nets the average length was 9 inches. Adult Channel Catfish were stocked in 2014 and 2016 (100 and 200, respectively) to help control the bullhead population however, none were sampled in either gill nets or trap nets in 2021. The fishery is still recovering from the 2014 winterkill but no additional stocking seems needed at this time. Walleye fingerlings will continue to be stocked every two years when available.

Crawford Lake is a 109 acre lake located five miles south of the city of Buffalo in Wright County. The lake is shallow (max. depth of 19 feet) with a history of winterkill. The lake was reclaimed using rotenone in 1998, but not all bullheads were killed. An aeration system was purchased and has been used since 2001 to prevent winterkill, but the system failed in 2014 and a partial winterkill occurred. Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish (to control bullheads), Largemouth Bass, Walleye, and Yellow Perch have been stocked since then. A variety of special fishing regulations exist for Crawford Lake. A brief electrofishing survey (~32 minutes) was conducted on June 14, 2019 to evaluate the status of the fishery. Water clarity was good; Secchi depth was 8.0 feet and the MPCA ten year average summer Secchi depth is 13.1 feet. All fish were dipped except for Black Bullheads, which were very abundant. Largemouth Bass (up to 14.8 inches) were abundant and good numbers of Bluegill (up to 6.8 inches) and Pumpkinseed (up to 7.9 inches) were sampled. Other species captured in low numbers included: Golden Shiner, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, and two small Walleye. No Channel Catfish, Black Crappie, or Yellow Perch were caught. Submerged vegetation was very heavy and likely limited catchability of fish in water more than a few feet deep. An attempt to sample deeper water was made with little success. The fishery is still recovering from the 2014 winterkill but no additional stocking seems needed except for Channel Catfish, if available. Walleye fingerlings will be stocked biennially when available. A targeted survey using gill nets would be helpful to evaluate the population of Channel Catfish, Walleye, and Yellow Perch.

Crawford Lake is shallow (maximum depth = 19 feet) and has a history of winterkills. The lake was treated with rotenone in 1998 in an attempt to eliminate a large bullhead population and then re-establish game fish species. An aeration system has been used as needed since 2001 to prevent winterkill. During the winter of 2014, the aeration system failed and a winterkill occurred. Subsequent trap netting in April 2014 found only one Black Bullhead and one Brown Bullhead. Adult Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Walleye fingerlings, and Yellow Perch were stocked in Crawford Lake in 2014 to re-establish the fishery. A brief electrofishing survey was conducted on June 6, 2016 to assess the recovery of the fishery. Several locations were electrofished around the lake for a total of 1,222 seconds (0.34 hours). The numbers of small Largemouth Bass, small Green Sunfish, and small Black Bullheads were high and no attempt was made to capture all fish seen. Largemouth Bass ranged in size from 4.2 to 12.6 inches with an average length of 6.5 inches. Green Sunfish ranged in size from 3.3 to 6.6 inches. Three Walleye were captured, ranging in size from 10.2 to 10.6 inches. These were likely fingerlings stocked in the fall of 2014. Other species captured in low numbers included: Black Crappie, Brown Bullhead, and Pumpkinseed. Largemouth Bass reproduction is good and no further stocking is needed. Walleye stocking will continue. No Bluegill were seen and addtional stocking will be used to establish a population. Previous Black Crappie introductions have reproduced poorly and further stocking may not be justified. Two Yellow Perch were seen but not captured during electrofishing. No Channel Catfish were caught and additional adults were stocked in 2016 to help control bullhead numbers. A variety of special fishing regulations are in place on Crawford Lake; additional surveys including trap nets and gill nets will be used in the future to evaluate the recovery of the fishery.

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

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

Crawford has a maximum depth of 19 feet and a mean depth of 3.6 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Crawford is from 2021.

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