Crooked Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Crooked Lake is mapped to a depth of 50 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 608 acres in Gogebic County, Michigan.
Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey (depths read from the survey's isobath field; this lake's summary-depth column is blank in the source).
- Deepest mapped contour
- 50 ft
- Mean depth
- 13.8 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 608 acres
- Estimated volume
- 8,388 acre-ft · 2,733M gal
- Shoreline
- 13.84 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 9% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- Boat Launch
Additional depth details5 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–50 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 50 ft, 20 ft
38.9% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 30.3% is deeper than 20 ft; the survey shows 4 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.
Compare with another lakeProvenance
Sources: MI DNR inland lake contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.
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Map details & sources5 sources
All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.
Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Colour shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.
- Coordinates
- 46.23397, -89.28516
- MI DNR lake ID
- L45613
- Vertical exaggeration
- 1.98×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.5 MB
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Crooked Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, generally sheltered geometry, limited nearby major-road exposure. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.
Why this score?5 components
Included in the index
| Component | Rating | Points of weight | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural setting | Excellent | 29.6 of 35 | 83% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (69% forest, 14% wetland; 2% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Very Good | 21.6 of 29 | mean fetch 801 m · 20% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch |
| Watercraft controls | None identified | 8.8 of 18 | No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law. |
| Public access | Not listed | — | No DNR-listed access site. Township, county and road-end launches are not in this source, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized. |
| Road isolation | Very Good | 12.9 of 18 | limited nearby major-road exposure · 6 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 156 vehicles/day |
Additional paddling considerations
These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.
- Wake sensitivity
- Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
- Aquatic vegetation
- Low — approximately 9% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
- Observed motorized activity
- Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
- Wildlife habitat potential
- High — 69% forest and 14% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from angler catches6 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).
Smallmouth Bass
Crappie
Redear Sunfish
Bluegill
Rock Bass
PumpkinseedFishing rules for this lake Beta
Size and daily limits for the 6 species found here — 6 open to harvest.
These are hook-and-line size, daily limit and season rules. Gear, spearing and bow fishing, spawning closures and rod limits are set by other Fisheries Orders and are not shown here.
From FO-206.26 (eff. 2026-04-01) / FO-215.23A (eff. 2023-09-15) / FO-254.25 (eff. 2025-10-10), checked against the 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations digest · verified 2026-08-24. Regulations can change — Michigan DNR rules are the controlling source; verify current regulations before fishing. Official regulations
Notable catches
Master Angler program · 1999–2024Trophy-size fish anglers caught here and registered with the DNR — what people have actually caught, distinct from what a survey netted or the state stocked below.
Biggest on record
Bait: worm (5) · combination (1)
Method: spincasting (8) · fly fishing (3) · ice fishing (1) · drift fishing (1)
Non-native species records
2 recordsPlants & algae
- Eurasian Watermilfoil
Other invertebrates
- Freshwater Jellyfish
What does non-native mean?
USGS records identify non-native species that have been documented for this lake or its shoreline. Non-native does not necessarily mean invasive, and historical records do not confirm current presence.
Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; underlying nonindigenous species records from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.
Public fishing access
MI DNR family-friendly fishingFederal-managed · Entry fee · Rustic restrooms · Dirt parking
Amenities: Boat launch, camping, picnic tables, walking trails, water pump
“A long, crooked body of water with many shallow bay areas. Much windfall timber cover near the shores and medium weed coverage in shallower areas. Shore area of all but the small bay near the boat launch is in a federal wilderness area.”
At the lake
community-mapped amenities · straight-line distanceBait & tackle nearby
licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distanceCrooked Lake — common questions
How deep is Crooked Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Crooked Lake is 50 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.
How big is Crooked Lake?
Crooked Lake covers about 608 acres in Gogebic County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Crooked Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Crooked Lake is 13.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
What fish are in Crooked Lake?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, pumpkinseed, redear sunfish, rock bass. The page shows the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Crooked Lake?
Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 1 public access site on Crooked Lake, including Crooked Lake.
