Cedar Lake (Aitkin County)
Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01006500
DNR records show 3 stocking entries at Cedar Lake (Aitkin County) since 2024, most recently walleye adults in 2025 (600 fish).
- Cedar Lake (Aitkin County) has 3 DNR stocking records across 2 years (2024-2025): walleye (1), gos (1), yellow perch (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is gos: 4,500 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 18 ft, mean depth 8 ft; surface area 249 acres, 215 littoral acres, 3.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Aitkin County, nearest town McGrath; DNR lake number (DOW) 01006500.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/17/1969 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | adults | 600 | 600.0 |
| 2024 | GOS1 | adults | 4,500 | 120.0 |
| 2024 | Yellow Perch1 | adults | 4,000 | 200.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
DNR fish survey, 2001
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Survey seining | 248.00 | 496 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Survey seining | 11.00 | 22 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Survey seining | 9.00 | 18 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Survey seining | 8.00 | 16 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Survey seining | 2.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 42.00 | 126 | 0.20 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 5.33 | 16 | 0.08 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 15 | 2.46 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 4.33 | 13 | 0.13 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 8 | 0.08 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 4 | 2.78 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 4 | 1.24 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 3 | 0.19 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 17.78 | 160 | 0.06 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.11 | 19 | 0.27 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.00 | 18 | 0.35 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 3.56 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 2.14 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.16 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.10 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.10 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Cedar Lake is a moderately fertile 232 acre lake located in south central Aitkin County just east of Mille Lacs Lake. Because a public access is currently not available, anglers will have to gain access through private land owners. The shoreline surrounding the lake is minimally developed with most of the shoreline composed of undeveloped forest or woodland, marshland, and grassland. The surrounding watershed is characterized by the following land uses listed in order of abundance: undeveloped forest or woodland, bogs, rural residential development, marshland, and grassland. Since shallow water depths are characteristic of this basin along with good fertility, this type of lake may experience low oxygen levels during the winter season which can cause partial or complete fish winterkills. According to historical DNR Fisheries surveys, known fish winterkills occurred in 1978/79 and 1988/89. Since 1993, the Cedar Lake Association has operated an aeration system as an effort to prevent or reduce winterkill. Due to the varying intensities of winterkill and the unknown effectiveness of the current aeration system, small partial winterkills may go undetected. Hence, the fish community in Cedar Lake may be subject to consistent change and periodically dominated by an abundance of low oxygen tolerant species such as bullhead. Currently, Cedar Lake is managed for black crappie and bluegill sunfish with northern pike as the secondary management species.During the open water season of 2001, a standard lake survey was conducted to evaluate the present status of the fish population, the physical, chemical, and biological factors concerning habitat, and the water quality. The evaluation of the fishery used gill nets, trap nets, and late summer shoreline seining. The selected gear types were chosen based on guidelines from the MN DNR Manual of Instructions for Lake Survey. Habitat and water quality data also collected based on these guidelines. Bluegill sunfish and black crappie numbers were found at normal levels for lakes of this type, but their sizes were small. Northern pike abundance was found at a normal level along with the average weight, at 2.5 pounds. Measured northern pike ranged from 17.3 to 27.5 inches with an average length of 22.8 inches. Walleye were first sampled in Cedar Lake in 1992 which was before any type of walleye stocking took place. These fish most likely originated in Mille Lacs Lake and entered Cedar lake via Cedar Creek during spring high water levels. Since the DNR does not stock walleye in lakes without a public access, the Cedar Lake…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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