Minnesota · Wright County
Cedar Lake Fishing guide
Cedar Lake is a 206-acre lake in Wright County, Minnesota, reaching 47 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 15.8 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 5 times, most recently in 2020, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 6 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
No recent survey rating.
Largemouth bassPresent0.7per gill net5"Typical16"Biggest
Lengths measured · 16 fish
Recent · 2020Lengths measured · 16 fish
2020Lengths measured · 69 fish
2007Northern pikeGood numbers11per gill net21"Typical34"Biggest
Lengths measured · 72 fish
Recent · 2020Lengths measured · 72 fish
2020Lengths measured · 67 fish
2007BluegillJust a few18.9per trap net4"Typical7"Biggest
Lengths measured · 229 fish
Recent · 2020Lengths measured · 229 fish
2020Lengths measured · 480 fish
2007CrappieJust a few0.8per trap net7"Typical10"Biggest
Lengths measured · 18 fish
Recent · 2020Lengths measured · 18 fish
2020Lengths measured · 11 fish
2007No recent survey rating.
Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Cedar Lake through the year
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 15.8 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- Early summer
- Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
- Summer
- Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. On a lake that drops to 47 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. At 15.8 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- Early summer
- Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
- Summer
- Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade. On a lake that drops to 47 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Size history
Biggest fish by survey year
| Survey year | Northern pike | Largemouth bass | Bluegill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 34" | 16" | 7" |
| 2007 | 31" | 19" | 7" |
Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Free Rig
Creature bait or magnum finesse worm
Bluegill · Soft plastics
Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic
1–1.5" micro plastic
Bluegill · Jigs & bladed
Beetle Spin
1.5–2" curly-tail grub trailer on a small in-line spinner jighead
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2020 survey
Cedar Lake is a small, mostly shallow basin located three miles southwest of Monticello in northern Wright County. The only access on this lake is user-developed and located off of Aetna Avenue NE. Most development has occurred on the east side of the lake. Due to its shallowness and good water clarity, the aquatic plant community is very diverse. No stocking has been done and management has been limited to periodic netting. The last survey was in 2007. The basin on the west side of Aetna Avenue, referred to as Little Cedar, was also included as part of this survey.
Emergent and floating-leaf vegetation is widespread and consisted primarily of cattail and waterlilies. Submerged vegetation was not surveyed in 2020 but was abundant consisting mostly of coontail and flatstem pondweed. Water clarity is good with summer Secchi readings averaging 16.0 feet and dissolved oxygen levels adequate to support fish down to 20 feet.
Read the full DNR narrative
Few changes in the fisheries are apparent between the 2007 and 2020 surveys. Northern Pike are still abundant while Bluegill appear less abundant but still small. Northern Pike are on the high end of the normal range but the average size Northern Pike was two and a half pounds. Forage species such as Golden Shiners and Yellow Perch were not abundant.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, spring electrofishing targeting Largemouth Bass was not conducted in 2020. Previous night electrofishing for bass in 2007 yielded average catch rates in Cedar Lake when compared to other lakes in the Sauk Rapids management area.
Cedar Lake has a moderately abundant Bluegill population, however few quality size fish can be found in the Lake. Only four Bluegill larger than seven inches were captured with trap nets and the average size was about five inches. Cedar Lake also has a low population of Black Crappie and most sampled in the survey were small; lengths ranged from three to eleven inches with an average length of 7.5 inches.
Other species in the fish community include Black, Brown, and Yellow Bullhead, Bowfin, Green Sunfish, Golden Shiner, Hybrid and Pumpkinseed Sunfish.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Cedar Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Cedar Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Township access: User developed access within the road right of way to Cedar Lake on the east side of Aetna Ave. NW.
- Township access
DNR bathymetry
Cedar Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Black Lake · 98 ac · 1.1 mi
- Bertram Lake · 111 ac · 2 mi
- Long Lake · 96 ac · 2.1 mi
- Birch Lake · 100 ac · 2.3 mi
- Eagle Lake · 191 ac · 2.5 mi
- Mud Lake · 33 ac · 2.8 mi
- First Lake · 17 ac · 3.2 mi
- Ida Lake · 226 ac · 3.2 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Cedar Lake?
Cedar Lake reaches 47 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 7.8 ft; about 63% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Cedar Lake?
Cedar Lake covers 206 acres with about 4.6 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Cedar Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Cedar Lake average 15.8 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Cedar Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2020) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Cedar Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Cedar Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Cedar Lake have a public access?
Yes. Cedar Lake has 2 public access sites, including a Township access (User developed access within the road right of way to Cedar Lake on the east side of Aetna Ave. NW.).
How big do northern pike get in Cedar Lake?
The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 34"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2007.
When was Cedar Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Cedar Lake in 2020, the most recent of 5 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
Page updated .
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