Cedar Lake, Iowa: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Linn County, Cedar Lake is an Iowa water. The ground round it is rolling bush. It runs to roughly 103 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. About 1.7 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Of the waters listed here in Linn County, this is the largest. Start from Cedar Rapids, 1.7 miles down the road. For a city, Cedar Rapids is 1.9 miles off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Cedar Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. County-wide records name bluegill, green sunfish, black crappie and channel catfish. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Work Cedar Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 75°F; the cold one sits at 19°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late March. Climate figures give an open season running late March to mid December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Expect Cedar Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public land surrounds it, and access follows the standard rules. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is a mapped slipway roughly half a mile away. You can park half a mile away and walk in from there. Mapping marks a fishing place roughly half a mile off. There are picnic tables recorded roughly half a mile off. There is a toilet block some half a mile out. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Robbins Lake is 2 miles off. Signs at Cedar Lake carry more weight than any list.