Cedar Lake (Rice County)
Rice County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 66005200
DNR records show 12 stocking entries at Cedar Lake (Rice County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (336,500 fish).
- Cedar Lake (Rice County) has 12 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): northern pike (7), walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 2,690,956 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 42 ft; surface area 902 acres, 673 littoral acres, 11.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 2.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 6 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Rice County, nearest town Warsaw; DNR lake number (DOW) 66005200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/22/1956 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 336,500 | 2.8 |
| 2023 | Northern Pike | fry | 66,000 | 2.1 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 336,500 | 2.6 |
| 2022 | Northern Pike | fry | 100,000 | 3.3 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 673,000 | 5.6 |
| 2021 | Northern Pike | fry | 101,792 | 3.2 |
| 2019 | Northern Pike | fry | 99,999 | 3.6 |
| 2018 | Northern Pike | fry | 41,706 | 1.4 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 673,000 | 5.7 |
| 2017 | Northern Pike | fry | 100,000 | 2.7 |
| 2016 | Northern Pike | fry | 105,966 | 1.6 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 671,956 | 6.2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - NORTH SHORE OF EAST BAY; OFF HWY 38 |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 48.93 | 54 | 0.79 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 35.75 | 429 | 0.09 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 9.25 | 111 | 0.33 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.33 | 28 | 1.49 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.42 | 17 | 0.25 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.92 | 11 | 3.33 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Standard trap nets | 0.83 | 10 | 8.72 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 6 | 7.48 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.42 | 5 | 3.97 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 24.12 | 193 | 0.18 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 16.62 | 133 | 0.29 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 14.75 | 118 | 1.01 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.75 | 22 | 3.25 |
| White crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.88 | 15 | 0.13 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.75 | 14 | 0.05 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 8 | 4.80 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.62 | 5 | 0.15 |
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 902-acre lake located in Rice County west of Faribault. A DNR-maintained public access is located on the north end of the lake. The lake has a maximum depth of 42 feet. Cedar Lake is considered eutrophic with generally poor water clarity and frequent algae blooms caused by elevated nutrient levels. There are four islands located on Cedar Lake with the southern two maintained as public land. Although portions of Cedar Lake shoreline have been altered for residential development, the lake still offers quality fish habitat, including diverse aquatic vegetation, woody debris, and overhanging limbs. Cedar Lake is designated as an infested water body due to the presence of Eurasian Watermilfoil since 2001. Cedar Lake is primarily managed for Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Largemouth Bass and secondarily for Northern Pike and Walleye. The management plan calls for stocking Walleye fry in odd years. Cedar Lake is designated as an Area tier-1 Lake and will be surveyed as part of a regularly scheduled monitoring program at a frequency of every 3 years. The 2025 survey was completed the week of July 28, 2025, using 8 gill nets, 12 trap nets, and 66 minutes of boat electrofishing. Water quality parameters were also measured. Black Crappies were among the most abundant fish in the 2025 survey with a total of 133 sampled with gill nets for a catch rate of 16.6/net. Black Crappie ranged from 0.9 inches to 10.1 inches with an average of 8.0 inches. Black Crappie were also sampled in trap nets with a catch rate of 9.3/net with lengths ranging from 4.1 inches to 13.4 inches. Black Crappie from both gears ranged from age-1 to age-5 with 5 year-classes present. Black Crappie growth was relatively slow. Black Crappie recruitment remains high and consistent in Cedar Lake, but growth and size structure are poor. Bluegills were the most abundant fish sampled with the trap nets with a total of 429 and a catch rate of 35.8/net. Bluegill ranged from 0.6 to 8.0 inches with an average of 5.2 inches. Bluegills were also common in the gill net sample with a catch rate of 24.1/net and lengths ranging from 3.9 to 8.0 inches. Bluegills ranged from age-1 to age-6 with 6 year-classes present. Age-2 to age-4 groups were all well represented, indicating strong and consistent recruitment. Bluegills are a draw to Cedar Lake for anglers looking for a meal of fish. A total of 54 Largemouth Bass were sampled using targeted boat electrofishing during the spring of 2025 for a catch rate of 48.9/hour. Largemouth Bass catch rates rebounded in 2025 after steadily dropping in 5 previous…
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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