Cedar Lake near Campbellsport: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  The Fond du Lac County end of Wisconsin holds Cedar Lake. This is pine and birch ground. Small at around 9 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. On size it sits at the modest end of our Fond du Lac County list. Start from Campbellsport, 6.8 miles down the road. The big place round here is Milwaukee, 43 miles distant. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Cedar Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. County-wide records name brown trout, common carp and bluegill. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Take Cedar Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 17°F and July at about 70°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early April. Average temperatures cross freezing around early April in spring and again near early December in autumn. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. At Cedar Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. A slipway is marked about half a mile from here. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Failing this one, try Crooked Lake, 0.6 miles away. Treat Cedar Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.