Cedar Lake Fishing near Skidway Lake, Michigan

• Overview

  Cedar Lake is an Ogemaw County water, Michigan side. The bank gives way to rolling bush. Small at around 8 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Supplies mean a trip to Skidway Lake, 5.2 miles off. Lansing sits 109 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Within a short run: Hardwood Lake at about 0.7 miles, Long Lake 1.4 miles, Boughner Lake at about 1.9 miles, Clear Lake 2 miles and Boss Lake at about 2 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Cedar Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Ogemaw County cover bluegill, rock bass, pink salmon and largemouth bass. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Cedar Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 68°F and January near 18°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Look for the thaw near early April; the fishing lifts straight after. Climate figures give an open season running early April to mid December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Cedar Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Hardwood Lake is 0.7 miles off. Nothing here settles the position at Cedar Lake for certain.