Cedar Lake in Saint Louis County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, this is Cedar Lake. It lies 1,401 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 30 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Aurora sits 3 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Thunder Bay sits 153 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Cedar Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Cedar Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 65°F for July and 3°F for January. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near late November in autumn. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. At Cedar Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Silver Lake is 3 miles off. Where Cedar Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.