Cedar Lake in Gloucester County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Cedar Lake lies in Gloucester County, New Jersey. The shore lies 23 miles out. The water measures roughly 20 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Collings Lakes sits 3.4 miles from the bank. Victory Lakes is 4.2 miles and Buena 4.3 miles. Other water within reach: McCarthys Lakes at 0.5 miles, Cedar Lake sits 1.9 miles out, Diamond Lake at 2.8 miles, Cranes Lake sits 3.2 miles out and Hospitality Lake at 3.4 miles. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Cedar Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Fish documented in Gloucester County include bluegill, pumpkinseed, redbreast sunfish and largemouth bass. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. At Cedar Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 32°F and July at about 75°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The freeze here is occasional rather than annual. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. Cedar Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is recorded parking some half a mile off. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try McCarthys Lakes, 0.5 miles away. Ask locally about Cedar Lake if anything is unclear.