East Crooked Lake
Hubbard County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 29010101
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at East Crooked Lake since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2024 (41 fish).
- East Crooked Lake has 7 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (7).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 17,127 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 96 ft; surface area 379 acres, 120 littoral acres, 4.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 18.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Hubbard County, nearest town Nevis; DNR lake number (DOW) 29010101.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/18/1962 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 41 | 12.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 829 | 169.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 4,840 | 121.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 2,544 | 120.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,625 | 238.3 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 634 | 24.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 614 | 352.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - A DNR access is located on the north end of the lake. |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 70.36 | 141 | 1.44 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 49.90 | 100 | 0.91 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 15.56 | 140 | 0.63 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 7.67 | 69 | 2.02 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 5.89 | 53 | 0.24 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 5.33 | 48 | 0.37 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.56 | 41 | 2.16 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.22 | 20 | 0.81 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.44 | 13 | 1.75 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.80 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 10.67 | 96 | 0.23 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.53 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.19 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 1.70 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 1.08 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.29 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.10 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.44 |
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.
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…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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