Cedar Lake
Wright County, Minnesota206 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Cedar Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 47 ft max depth
- Limited data
Cedar Lake in Wright County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 206.37 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 29, 2020 caught 11.00 northern pike per gill net at Cedar Lake. DNR survey details →
Cedar Lake is a 206-acre lake in Wright County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 47 feet (8-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 11 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Cedar Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.6 ft of visibility
- Fishing11 species recorded
- Deep water47 ft surveyed max depth
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.
Good clarity, visible to about 13.6 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.6ft | 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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Cedar Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Cedar Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 79°F) and coldest in Oct (about 63°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (63°F) to its warmest (79°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 47 field readings (2022–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 29, 2020 caught 11.00 northern pike 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 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2020-06-29 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2020-06-29 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 81.80 | 3–7 in 2020-06-29 | 0.1 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 9.23 | 9 in 2020-06-29 | 0.45 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 9.17 | 5–11 in 2020-06-29 | 0.31 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 7.90 | 3–7 in 2020-06-29 | 0.08 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 7.57 | 3–16 in 2020-06-29 | 0.91 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 7.33 | 6–14 in 2020-06-29 | 0.48 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.
Bluegill
Black Bullhead
Yellow Bullhead
Pumpkinseed
From the 2020-06-29 survey
Cedar Lake is a small, mostly shallow basin located three miles southwest of Monticello in northern Wright County. The only access on this lake is user-developed and located off of Aetna Avenue NE. Most development has occurred on the east side of the lake. Due to its shallowness and good water clarity, the aquatic…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Cedar Lake. 2 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 (0165)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
47 ft
Average depth
7.8 ft
Surface area
206 acres
Shoreline
4.6 mi
Littoral zone
63%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
6 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
958 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Cedar Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Cedar Lake in Wright County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Cedar Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Cedar Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Nearby Lakes in Wright County
Frequently asked questions about Cedar Lake
Where is Cedar Lake?
- Cedar Lake is a lake in Wright 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 Wright County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 206.37 acres.
Is Cedar Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Cedar Lake?
- Cedar Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October, from 47 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Cedar Lake?
- Cedar Lake has a maximum depth of 47 feet and an average depth of 7.8 feet. The lake covers 206.37 acres.
What fish are in Cedar Lake?
- Fish species found in Cedar Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead. Cedar Lake is located in Wright County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Cedar Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 29, 2020 caught 11.00 northern pike 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 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
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
71 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA71 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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