Cedar Lake Fishing Guide, Stearns County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Minnesota holds Cedar Lake, in Stearns County. Height above sea level is 1,188 feet. At about 91 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. There is roughly 1.8 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. For a base, Melrose sits 3.5 miles out. Beyond it, Albany at 10 miles and Sauk Centre at 10 miles. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Cedar Lake

  Measured depth reaches about 40 feet at the deepest point. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Stearns County: largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike, walleye and black crappie. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Cedar Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 71°F, the coldest about 10°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near early April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Plan any trip to Cedar Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Should this one be busy, Stone Lake is 0.6 miles off. Check the position on Cedar Lake before loading the car.