Cedar Lake
Aitkin County, Minnesota249 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Cedar Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 18 ft max depth
- Limited data
Cedar Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 18 ft. Surface area: 249.25 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 13, 2001 caught 1.33 walleye per gill net at Cedar Lake. DNR survey details →
Cedar Lake is a 249-acre lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 18 feet (8-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Cedar Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing9 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Cedar Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Cedar Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Cedar Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.8 ft. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Cedar Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Cedar Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was moderate (77,983 cells/mL) on May 9, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 13, 2001 caught 1.33 walleye per gill net at Cedar Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Cedar Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2001-08-13 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2001-08-13 (Standard Survey)
25 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 26.77 | 6–8 in 2001-08-13 | 0.17 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 16.36 | 7–11 in 2001-08-13 | 0.18 lb |
| Bluegill | 12.13 | 1–7 in 2001-08-13 | 0.07 lb |
| Black Crappie | 11.81 | 4–8 in 2001-08-13 | 0.1 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.98 | 17–27 in 2001-08-13 | 2.08 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 2.14 | 0.19 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Black Bullhead
Brown Bullhead
Bluegill
Black Crappie
From the 2001-08-13 survey
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…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Cedar Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — CedarFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Cedar (0074)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — CedarFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
18 ft
Average depth
8 ft
Surface area
249 acres
Shoreline
3.7 mi
Littoral zone
86%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,276 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
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Stays near Cedar Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Cedar Lake
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Follow Cedar Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Cedar Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2021–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Nearby Lakes in Aitkin County
Frequently asked questions about Cedar Lake
Where is Cedar Lake?
- Cedar Lake is a lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cedar Lake?
- Cedar Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 18 ft. Surface area: 249.25 acres.
Is Cedar Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Cedar Lake?
- Cedar Lake has a maximum depth of 18 feet and an average depth of 8 feet. The lake covers 249.25 acres.
What fish are in Cedar Lake?
- Fish species found in Cedar Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Cedar Lake is located in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Cedar Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 13, 2001 caught 1.33 walleye per gill net at Cedar Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Cedar Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Does Cedar Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Cedar Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was moderate (77,983 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Can I fish at Cedar Lake?
- Public access to Cedar Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
9 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA9 samples · 2021–2023
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder