Crescent Lake
Cook County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 16045400
Crescent Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Crescent Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 28 ft; surface area 755 acres, 558 littoral acres, 14.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, tiger muskellunge, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Cook County, nearest town Grand Marais; DNR lake number (DOW) 16045400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/19/1937 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | USF |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 6.25 | 50 | 1.94 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 6.25 | 50 | 0.98 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 5.88 | 47 | 0.17 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 4 | 0.81 |
| Muskellunge | Standard gill nets | 0.25 | 2 | 6.36 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.88 | 15 | 1.36 |
| Muskellunge | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 4 | 5.70 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 4 | 0.39 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.12 | 1 | 0.67 |
| TME | Standard trap nets | 0.12 | 1 | 2.55 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Crescent Lake is a medium sized, 755-acre lake in Cook County with a maximum depth of 28 ft. There is a concrete boat access and U.S. Forest service campground located on the northwest side of the lake just off Forest Road 165. Crescent Lake is primarily managed for walleye and muskellunge. In 2024, a standard survey was conducted using gillnets and trap nets to assess the fish community and update information on current management species. Walleye catch rates were similar to previous surveys and fell within the expected range of values for similar lakes. Walleye lengths ranged from 9.3 to 26.2 inches and averaged 13.8 inches. Otoliths collected from walleye revealed 14 naturally reproduced age classes and indicated that growth was slow, taking six years to reach 15.0 inches. A total of 50 walleye were caught during the survey and 29% were longer than 15.0 inches. Anglers looking to target eater-sized walleye should have fair success fishing on Crescent Lake. Crescent lake provides a unique opportunity to target muskellunge within Cook County. Shoepack strain muskellunge were originally stocked in the late 1970's and since have naturalized within the lake. The muskellunge catch rate was below the long-term average for the lake; however, it may still be a productive fishery since muskellunge are not sampled well in standard gillnets. Muskellunge lengths ranged from 23.4 to 31.1 inches and averaged 29.6 inches. Aging results revealed it took muskellunge about seven years to grow to 30 inches in Crescent Lake. Additionally, tiger muskellunge have been documented in the last two surveys on Crescent Lake. Natural hybridization of northern pike and muskellunge (i.e. tiger muskellunge) is a rare occurrence in the wild and thus, provides a unique fishery in Crescent Lake. Anglers looking to target muskellunge can expect to catch higher numbers of smaller fish, which is common in lakes with Shoepack strain muskellunge. Catches of northern pike were low in Crescent Lake as only one fish was caught during the survey. Smallmouth bass catch rates were also low at 0.5 fish/net, but similar to previous surveys. Smallmouth bass size structure was poor as the largest fish sampled was only 13.7 inches. Yellow perch catches were similar to previous surveys, and likely provide forage for both walleye and muskellunge. Yellow perch averaged 6.9 inches; however, only the largest yellow perch found would be of any interest to anglers. Additionally, no significant changes to the white sucker population were observed during the survey. Minnesota Lakes within Cook County…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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