Cedar Lake (Hennepin County)
Hennepin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 27003900
DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Cedar Lake (Hennepin County) since 2016, most recently muskellunge fingerlings in 2025 (63 fish).
- Cedar Lake (Hennepin County) has 6 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2025): muskellunge (6).
- The most-stocked species by count is muskellunge: 378 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 51 ft; surface area 164 acres, 63 littoral acres, 3.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Hennepin County, nearest town Minneapolis; DNR lake number (DOW) 27003900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 5/6/1958 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Muskellunge9 | fingerlings | 63 | 16.8 |
| 2024 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 63 | 10.4 |
| 2022 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 63 | 9.8 |
| 2021 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 63 | 11.2 |
| 2018 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 63 | 7.3 |
| 2016 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 63 | 10.9 |
9 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by DNR and other agencies or 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.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| CA | city | - north parking lot on west side of lake (dedicated carry-in launch location) The canoe rack location (seasonal fee permits required for rack use) and multiple points within park property allow free access for carry-in craft (subject to park hours and rules; parking spots may have fees and/or restrictions). Larger boats (electric-trolling motor use only) can access Cedar from the Bde Maka Ska/Lk Calhoun boat ramp (limited off-site parking) and traveling through two channels and Lake of the Isles. City of Minneapolis Parks/Rec Board web site or contact information has further access/use details. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 70.62 | 565 | 0.13 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 3.38 | 27 | 0.16 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 2.50 | 20 | 0.13 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 2.50 | 20 | 0.22 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.88 | 7 | 0.06 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.62 | 5 | 0.34 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.62 | 5 | 3.23 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.38 | 3 | 0.09 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 7.67 | 46 | 0.11 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 6.00 | 36 | 2.25 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 5.33 | 32 | 0.13 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 16 | 0.53 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 2.17 | 13 | 0.11 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 8 | 0.08 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.10 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.39 |
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 is a 164-acre lake located in Minneapolis. It is the most upstream of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes; downstream and connected are Lake of the Isles and Bde Maka Ska. A city park, maintained by the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, surrounds the majority of the lake. This public land provides ample shorefishing opportunities, including a fishing pier. Cedar has multiple locations to carry in small craft, and larger boats can access from the Bde Maka Ska boat ramp and travelling through two channels and Lake of the Isles. Motors are restricted to electric only on the entire chain. There are three swimming beaches on the lake, and it is a popular spot for swimmers and paddlers during the summer. Cedar Lake is infested with Eurasian watermilfoil. A Standard Survey was conducted in the summer of 2024 to assess the gamefish populations of Cedar Lake. During this survey, water clarity was 5.5 feet, and dissolved oxygen became too low for fish in 13 feet of water. Cedar is primarily managed for Largemouth Bass and Muskellunge; however, sampling gears targeting these species were not used in 2024. Muskellunge are stocked into Cedar on an every-other-year basis. In 2024, Cedar received a stocking of adult Black Crappie as part of an urban fishing program. Two Largemouth Bass were incidentally sampled in gill nets in 2024, and both of the fish were 15 inches long. Cedar Lake has good quality habitat for Largemouth Bass, and there is likely a healthy population of the species. Northern Pike numbers have been good in recent years, and they tend to be medium-sized. Fish averaged 22.4 inches and 2.6 pounds, ranging in size from 13.2 to 28.3 inches. In Cedar, anglers have a shot at both fish smaller than 22 inches, of which they can harvest 10, as well as fish exceeding 26 inches, of which they can harvest two. Bluegill abundance was high in 2024, but size of the fish tended to be small. Average size was 5.5 inches and 0.13 pounds. Thirty percent of the fish were larger than 6 inches, with the largest fish measuring 7.1 inches. Black Crappie were sampled in low numbers compared to lakes similar to Cedar. The fish tended to be on the small side, as only 10% of the sampled fish were larger than 8 inches. Other species sampled were Black Bullhead, Bowfin, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, hybrid sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.
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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