Crooked Lake Fishing near Anoka, Minnesota

• Overview

  Anoka County in Minnesota is where Crooked Lake sits. The surface lies 846 feet up. The water covers some 120 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. About 2.6 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Minnesota listings. Nearest place of any size is Anoka, 2.3 miles away. After that come Andover at 3 miles and Champlin at 3 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Crooked Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Species logged across Anoka County include bluegill, common carp, black crappie and largemouth bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Crooked Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 72°F and January near 12°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early April. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. It holds true on Crooked Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A boat ramp sits about half a mile from the water. Public data has parking about half a mile from the shore. Mapping shows a jetty some half a mile off. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Round Lake at 2.2 miles is the sensible second choice. For Crooked Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.