Cedar Lake Fishing in Carlton County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Within Carlton County, Minnesota, you have Cedar Lake. The bank gives way to pine and birch. The water covers some 55 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline comes to about 1.2 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Cloquet sits 7.1 miles from here and is the nearest stop. The nearest city of size is Minneapolis, 126 miles away. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Cedar Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish documented in Carlton County include bluegill, yellow perch, black crappie and largemouth bass. The county list is broader than any single water. At Cedar Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 66°F, while January sits near 7°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. On average, mid April opens the water and late November closes it again. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Cedar Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Big Lake is 2.7 miles distant. Confirm before you fish Cedar Lake.