Fishing at Cedar Island Lake, Hennepin County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Set in Hennepin County, Minnesota, this is Cedar Island Lake. It lies 892 feet above sea level. It measures about 83 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. About 2.0 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Minnesota listings. Head to Maple Grove, 1.1 miles away, for anything you forgot. The nearest city of size is Minneapolis, an 11 miles drive. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Cedar Island Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Public occurrence data for Hennepin County names bluegill, common carp, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed and black crappie. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Cedar Island Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 72°F, the coldest about 12°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early April. Averages place the thaw at early April and the freeze at late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Cedar Island Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. The car has to stay half a mile away, which shapes how much tackle you bring. There is a toilet block some half a mile out. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Fish Lake sits 1.2 miles off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Cedar Island Lake.