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Crooked Lake

Oakland County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
60ft Max
depth
64 acres 7 contours
Paddling Index67MixedMedium confidencesheltered geometry · wooded shoreline
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Crooked Lake is mapped to a depth of 60 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 64 acres in Oakland County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
60 ft
Mean depth
22.9 ft · estimated
Surface area
64 acres
Estimated volume
1,476 acre-ft · 481M gal
Shoreline
2.09 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
13% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details7 contours
Contour depths
0–60 ft
Recorded point soundings
60 ft

36.3% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 50.5% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MI DNR inland lake contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.

⚠ Not for navigation

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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
42.77574, -83.39507
MI DNR lake ID
L13422
Vertical exaggeration
1.64×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.5 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
67 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Crooked Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, well sheltered geometry, some nearby classified roads. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingVery Good24.1 of 3573% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (39% forest, 35% wetland; 19% developed)
Geometric wind exposureExcellent25.5 of 29mean fetch 590 m · 29% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controlsNone identified8.8 of 18No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public accessNot listedNo 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 isolationGood8.9 of 18some nearby classified roads · 30 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 14,955 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
Moderate — narrow in places — wakes would carry across parts of the lake
Aquatic vegetation
Low — approximately 13% 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 — 39% forest and 35% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public environmental, access, roadway and watercraft-control data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights: natural setting 30%, geometric wind exposure 25%, watercraft controls 15%, public access 15%, road isolation 15%; observed motorboat activity is weighted 0% because no defensible lake-level measurement exists. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Sources: MI DNR Watercraft Control Areas (2026-08), USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), MDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (2025) and MI DNR bathymetric survey outline (0 ft isobath). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from angler catches, DNR surveys & active stocking

6 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).

Flathead Catfish
Northern Pikestocked
Largemouth Bass
Redear Sunfish
Rock Bass
Pumpkinseed

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Rainbow Trout (last planted 1982) — not shown above.

Fishing 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.

Flathead CatfishOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland)
Largemouth BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: 14" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland) The 5 is in any combination of Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, not 5 of each (FO-215.23A).
Beta. This panel is newly published. Every value is parsed from the Michigan DNR fisheries orders and hand-checked against the printed digest, but the coverage and wording are still under review. If anything here disagrees with the Michigan DNR's Fisheries Orders or its printed digest, the DNR is right — the signed Fisheries Order is the legal text; the digest summarises it.
Flathead CatfishOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland)
Largemouth BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: 14" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland) The 5 is in any combination of Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, not 5 of each (FO-215.23A).
Northern PikeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 24" · Daily limit: 2 (FO-215 · statewide inland)
PumpkinseedOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (FO-215 · statewide inland) The 25 is in any combination of the sunfishes — Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Black and White Crappie, Rock Bass, Green, Longear and Redear Sunfish, Warmouth and hybrids — not 25 of each (FO-215.23A).
Redear SunfishOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (FO-215 · statewide inland) The 25 is in any combination of the sunfishes — Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Black and White Crappie, Rock Bass, Green, Longear and Redear Sunfish, Warmouth and hybrids — not 25 of each (FO-215.23A).
Rock BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (FO-215 · statewide inland) The 25 is in any combination of the sunfishes — Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Black and White Crappie, Rock Bass, Green, Longear and Redear Sunfish, Warmouth and hybrids — not 25 of each (FO-215.23A).

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

Compiled from registered Master Angler catches, Michigan DNR fishery surveys and Michigan DNR stockings within the last 10 years. Silhouettes are stylized and scaled to typical adult sizes relative to one another. Presence is not a promise — fishing isn’t a sure thing.

Notable catches

Master Angler program · 1994–2018

Trophy-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.

8Catches recorded
5Species
Pumpkinseed3 recorded · to 9″ · latest 2014
Largemouth Bass2 recorded · to 23″ · latest 2018
Flathead Catfish1 recorded · to 31.5″ · latest 2001
Redear Sunfish1 recorded · to 11″ · latest 2002
Rock Bass1 recorded · to 11″ · latest 2006

Biggest on record

Flathead Catfish31.5″ · 2001 · still fishing · minnow
Largemouth Bass23″ · 1994 · still fishing · chub w/bobber
Largemouth Bass22″ · 2018 · spincasting
Rock Bass11″ · 2006 · spincasting
Redear Sunfish11″ · 2002 · trolling · worms

Bait: worm (2) · minnow (1) · chub w/bobber (1)
Method: spincasting (4) · still fishing (3) · trolling (1)

Master Angler entries are fish that met the program’s minimum size and were registered by the angler — they show what this lake has produced, not what a day here will produce. A catch on record is history, not a species listing: “Fish you might catch” lists only species with current evidence. Source: Michigan DNR Master Angler data.

Fishery

surveyed 2023
1Fish sampled
1Species

Forage & nongame

Pumpkinseed1 caught
Stocking: A 22-acre marsh on Crooked Lake was operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) as a Northern Pike spawning marsh to produce fingerlings to stock in Crooked Lake, as well as other local lakes.
This survey reported catch counts without lengths. Source: Michigan DNR Status of the Fishery Resource report (counts summed across survey years).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1979–2005

Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.

Northern pike3,863 stocked · 1979–2005 · 3 plantings
Rainbow trout11,400 stocked · 1981–1982 · 2 plantings

No stockings recorded since 2005 — shown as history.

Non-native species records

1 record

Fish

  • Flathead Catfish
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.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance
🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 5 mapped
🏖 Beach / swim areaon the lake
🎢 Playgroundon the lake · 5 mapped
From OpenStreetMap community mapping — shown only where something is mapped; an amenity missing here may still exist. Distances are straight-line. Verify before you rely on it. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance
Jay's Big Bass Outdoors Inc≈6.7 mi4250 Dixie Hwy, Waterford · Google · Apple
The Bait Shop LLC≈7 mi2574 AirPort Rd, Waterford · Google · Apple
T-Rex Adventures≈7.6 mi1447 N Ortonville Rd, Ortonville · Google · Apple
Dealers licensed by the Michigan DNR to sell live bait; listing is not an endorsement. Distances are straight-line, not driving — and call ahead: hours and stock change. Source: Michigan DNR retail bait dealer data.
Quick answers

Crooked Lake — common questions

How deep is Crooked Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Crooked Lake is 60 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 64 acres in Oakland County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Crooked Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Crooked Lake is 22.9 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Crooked Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include flathead catfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, redear sunfish, rock bass. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Crooked Lake?

No public launch for Crooked Lake appears in the Michigan DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- municipal and private ramps are not in that source.