Minnesota · Wright County
Cedar Lake Fishing guide
Cedar Lake sits in Wright County, Minnesota, and covers 790 acres, reaching 108 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 8 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 11 times, most recently in 2024, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
WalleyeLast stocked 2025Fair numbers1.8per gill net19"Typical27"Biggest
Lengths measured · 22 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 22 fish
2024Lengths measured · 66 fish
2019Lengths measured · 33 fish
2019Lengths measured · 75 fish
2014Largemouth bassGood numbers78per hr (electrofishing)14"Typical20"Biggest
Lengths measured · 182 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 182 fish
2024Lengths measured · 66 fish
2019Lengths measured · 145 fish
2014Lengths measured · 106 fish
2006Northern pikeGood numbers12.2per gill net23"Typical31"Biggest
Lengths measured · 150 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 150 fish
2024Lengths measured · 164 fish
2019Lengths measured · 291 fish
2019Lengths measured · 204 fish
2014BluegillFair numbers37.6per trap net5"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 1247 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 503 fish
2024Lengths measured · 744 fish
2024Lengths measured · 961 fish
2019Lengths measured · 527 fish
2019CrappieJust a few1.3per trap net10"Typical13"Biggest
Lengths measured · 69 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 14 fish
2024Lengths measured · 55 fish
2024Lengths measured · 646 fish
2019Lengths measured · 9 fish
2019Only 9 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Yellow perchGood numbers4.9per gill net6"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 59 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 59 fish
2024Lengths measured · 22 fish
2019Lengths measured · 42 fish
2014Lengths measured · 30 fish
2006Rock bassGood numbers1.5per gill net7"Typical10"Biggest
Lengths measured · 18 fish
Recent · 2024Lengths measured · 18 fish
2024Lengths measured · 3 fish
2014Only 3 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 11 fish
2006Lengths measured · 19 fish
1996Rates 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
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn.
- 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 108 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.
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth.
- 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 108 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.
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 | Largemouth bass | Northern pike | Walleye |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 20" | 31" | 27" |
| 2019 | 18" | 34" | 28" |
| 2014 | 19" | 34" | 27" |
| 2006 | 18" | 32" | 28" |
| 1996 | 16" | 35" | 24" |
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:
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Topwater Popper
2.5–3" concave-face popper
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Hollow-Body Frog
3–3.5" hollow-body frog
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Jigs & bladed
Inline Spinner (Mepps/Blue Fox)
#2–#4 in-line spinner
Walleye · Live bait
Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler
jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler
Walleye · Trolling
Leadcore Line + Crankbaits
4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
DNR stocking records
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Stocked |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | 3,479 fingerlings · 28 yearlings |
| 2024 | Walleye | 10,125 fingerlings |
| 2023 | Walleye | 13,985 fingerlings |
| 2021 | Walleye | 16,804 fingerlings |
| 2019 | Walleye | 5,502 fingerlings · 20 yearlings · 21 adults |
| 2018 | Walleye | 10,000 fingerlings |
| 2017 | Walleye | 3,674 fingerlings · 18 adults |
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2024 survey
Cedar Lake is an 837-acre lake located two miles east of Annandale in Wright County. Cedar Lake has a maximum depth of 108 feet and a small watershed dominated by agriculture, open water and forest. Two public accesses are located on the north end of the lake: a DNR ramp on the northwest corner with limited parking and a county access within Schroeder Park with ample parking. Cedar Lake is primarily managed for Northern Pike and Walleye and was last surveyed in 2019. Anglers can expect good fishing for Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike and Walleye. Emergent and floating leaf vegetation is common around the lake shore, primarily bulrush, cattail, and waterlily. No submerged plant survey was done in 2024, but coontail and sago pondweed were the dominant species in previous surveys. The lake was listed as infested with Eurasian watermilfoil in 2010 and zebra mussels in 2017. Water clarity is generally good and MPCA data show a summer average Secchi reading of 13 feet over the past ten years.
Walleye numbers decreased from 2019 but remain within the range of expected values for similar lakes. Walleye lengths ranged from 12 to 28 inches with an average length and weight of 20 inches and 3 pounds. Eighty-five percent of Walleye sampled were 15 inches or longer and 40%were 20 inches or longer. Walleye ages ranged from 2 to 13 years old with most fish between 3 and 5 years old. Growth was above average compared to the rest of the state, but similar to the average of the Sauk Rapids Area, reaching 17 inches in three years. Walleye fingerlings have been stocked every other year for many years and the lake association has recently stocked fingerlings in years that the DNR does not stock.
Read the full DNR narrative
Cedar Lake has a history of high catch rates of Northern Pike with the population being dominated by small fish. The catch in 2024 and 2019 were well above the range of expected values for similar lakes. Northern Pike lengths in 2024 ranged from 16 to 31 inches with an average length and weight of 24 inches and 3 pounds. While many of the pike in the lake are small, anglers do have a good chance at catching some nicer fish (> 26 inches).
Anglers can expect good bass angling for fish of all sizes. Largemouth Bass were sampled by nighttime electrofishing in May 2024 at a rate similar to the management goal for the Sauk Rapids Area (75/hr) with fish up to 20.6 inches sampled. Eighty-eight percent of bass caught were eight inches or longer, with 62% measuring 12 inches or longer and 45% measuring 15 inches or longer.
Bluegill numbers were similar to previous surveys and within the range of expected values. Lengths ranged from 2 to 8 inches with an average length of 5 inches. Anglers can expect to have decent success catching Bluegills; however, they may have to sort through a bunch in order to catch a meal. Black Crappie numbers were low and below the range of expected values for the lake class. Lengths ranged from 7 to 11 inches with an average length of 10 inches. Black Crappie catches have always been low, despite having a reputation of being a good crappie lake. The lake has a large amount of deep water, likely making summer netting less effective.
Yellow Perch catches in recent surveys have been low, but the catch in 2024 was within the range of expected values for similar lakes although the average size of perch sampled in the survey were small. Yellow Perch abundance is likely limited by high numbers of Northern Pike.
Other species captured in low numbers included: Bowfin (Dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Green and Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, and White Sucker. Yellow Bullhead numbers increased from 2019, but remained less than results from 2006.
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
- Cedar Lake (W) (trailer launch)
- Cedar Lake, Schroeder Park (trailer launch)
- Cedar Lake Fishing Pier (fishing pier)
DNR bathymetry
Cedar Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Somers Lake · 151 ac · 1.8 mi
- Mink Lake · 280 ac · 1.8 mi
- Pleasant Lake · 597 ac · 3.3 mi
- Indian Lake · 139 ac · 3.6 mi
- Mary Lake · 196 ac · 3.6 mi
- Millstone Lake · 200 ac · 3.8 mi
- Sugar Lake · 1,014 ac · 4.1 mi
- Henshaw Lake · 272 ac · 4.2 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Cedar Lake?
Cedar Lake reaches 108 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 29.5 ft; about 40% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Cedar Lake?
Cedar Lake covers 790 acres with about 7.2 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Cedar Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Cedar Lake average 8 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Cedar Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2024) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is Cedar Lake stocked?
Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2017.
Does Cedar Lake have a public access?
Yes. Cedar Lake has 3 public access sites, including Cedar Lake (W) (trailer launch).
How big do largemouth bass get in Cedar Lake?
The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 20"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1996.
When was Cedar Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Cedar Lake in 2024, the most recent of 11 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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