Cedar Lake (Stearns County)
Stearns County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 73022600
DNR records show 1 stocking entry at Cedar Lake (Stearns County) since 2025, most recently walleye yearlings in 2025 (300 fish).
- Cedar Lake (Stearns County) has 1 DNR stocking record across 1 year (2025-2025): walleye (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 300 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 36 ft, mean depth 8 ft; surface area 95 acres, 70 littoral acres, 3.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Stearns County, nearest town Saint Rosa; DNR lake number (DOW) 73022600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 5/22/1971 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 300 | 100.0 |
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.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 16.78 | 151 | 0.19 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.33 | 21 | 0.52 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.21 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 3.75 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.06 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.04 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 1.41 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.32 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 13.34 | 15 | 1.94 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 12 | 0.12 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.67 | 11 | 3.29 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 2.33 | 7 | 0.05 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 3 | 0.70 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 1 | 0.69 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 1 | 0.08 |
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 95-acre lake located 3.5 miles northeast of the City of Melrose. The lake is moderately productive and has a maximum depth of 36 feet. The watershed is 1,503 acres and consists primarily of cultivated crops (36%). Water clarity is good with a Secchi depth reading of 10.5 feet in June. Additionally, the University of Minnesota has documented a seven-year average Secchi depth of 11.9 feet in June. Dissolved oxygen supported fish down to 19 feet, slightly shallower than the previous survey in 2010 (23 feet). There is a DNR owned public access located on the east side of the lake. A standard survey was conducted in 2025 to update information last collected in 2010. Anglers can expect quality fishing for Northern Pike, Bluegill, and Largemouth Bass. Northern Pike numbers (3.7/gill net) were lower than both the 2010 survey (6.7/gill net) and historical average (5.8 gill/net) but were within the expected values for similar lakes. Sampled pike ranged in length from 16.7-33.1 inches, with a mean length and weight of 23.8 inches and 3.1 pounds. Only 12 pike were sampled, 25% of which were 26 inches or longer and 8% were 30 inches or longer. The Bluegill catch (16.8/trap net) was less than both the 2010 survey (22.3/trap net) and the historical average (29.1/trap net) but within the expected values for similar lakes. Sampled Bluegill ranged in length from 3-8.8 inches, with a mean length of six inches. Sixty percent of Bluegill were six inches or longer and 3% were eight inches or longer. Largemouth Bass were sampled via daytime electrofishing on April 25, 2025. A total of 15 bass were sampled in 1.13 hours (13.3/hour). Sampled bass ranged in length from 6-18.8 inches, with a mean length and weight of 14.7 inches and 1.9 pounds. Black Crappie numbers (0.3/trap net) were less than both the 2010 survey (0.2/gill net) and the historical average (1.1/trap net). Catch rates were less than the expected values for similar fisheries. Crappie were also sampled in gill nets (4/net). Sampled crappie ranged in length from 4.2-8.6 inches, with a mean length of 5.9 inches. Thirteen percent of crappie were eight inches or longer. A low sample size may poorly reflect the Black Crappie population. No Walleye were sampled during this assessment. Walleye are not stocked by the DNR, but they are stocked almost annually by the Freeport Sportsman's Club, most recently in 2025. Other species sampled include: Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Emerald Bowfin, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Yellow Bullhead, and Yellow Perch.
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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