Cedar Lake (Morrison County)

Morrison County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 49014000

DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Cedar Lake (Morrison County) since 2017, most recently tullibee (cisco) adults in 2025 (116 fish).

• Cedar Lake (Morrison County) has 9 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2025): walleye (8), tullibee (cisco) (1).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 108,178 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 88 ft, mean depth 39 ft; surface area 236 acres, 66 littoral acres, 3.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.4 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: April 9, 2025 (targeted survey).
• Morrison County, nearest town Upsala; DNR lake number (DOW) 49014000.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/18/1959 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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 (DOW#49-0140-00: Lake Class 23) is a 236 acre lake located near Upsala, Minnesota. A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) owned concrete boat ramp is located on the south shoreline. Cedar Lake has 3.41 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 88 feet. The lake is primarily managed for Walleye and Northern Pike and secondarily for Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass. The lake was initially surveyed in 1959, and 49 sampling surveys or investigations have occurred since. In this assessment seven standard lake survey trap nets were used to evaluate the Northern Pike regulation. The Northern Pike regulation was modified in 2018 to a 26-inch maximum and a three fish bag limit, due to an increasing abundance of small pike and an apparent decrease in large pike. In the previous survey, the 2023 ice-out catch was low. For the 2025 ice-out survey one additional net was added and all original nets were set three times to have a better chance of capturing more fish. With additional effort the 2025 ice-out survey resulted in a low catch. The low sample size obtained in 2025 suggests caution regarding its accuracy in representing the pike population. It's unlikely the low catch is the product of a reduced pike density. The mean length, mean weight, maximum length, percentage greater than 24 inches, and the percentage over 30 inches were all well below historical levels. Two Pike exceeding 30 inches were observed in the 2025 ice-out assessment, which is the first time since 2015 that any Pike observed exceeding 30 inches. The reasons for the decline in pike size structure characteristics are not well understood, tough the past protection of nearly all pike in the lake under 40 inch appears to have resulted in an increased abundance of small pike. The modification of pike regulations in 2018 to a 26-inch maximum length was designed to protect larger pike while facilitating harvest of smaller pike. Seven Walleye were captured in the 2025 ice-out assessment ranging from 21.7 to 26.5 inches. Mean weight was large at 5.43 pounds which is higher than the typical for these early spring efforts. Gill nets in 2021 captured 5.83 Walleyes per lift, suggesting a favorable population level. The Black Crappies sample consisted of 36 fish ranging from 5.4 to 14 inches. Mean length was 11 inches; however, the most numerous size group was 11.0-11.49 inches. The larger catches in recent years and the continued presence of crappies in the 14-inch size range are encouraging. Future Black Crappie evaluations will include targeted spring electrofishing. Largemouth…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, April 9, 2025.

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