Lake Review – Big Cedar Lake, WI

Sunset on Big Cedar Lake

932 Arces

Max Depth 105 feet

Shoreline 11 Miles

 Big Cedar Lake is located approximately 3 miles from West Bend off Hwy 144.  This lake is renowned for bass fishing along with trophy sized pike.  Recently a healthy population of walleyes has emerged, due to stocking efforts from the Wisconsin DNR.  The main launch is off of Groening Dr and has a hefty $7 launch fee.  There is a large amount of recreational boat traffic, so picking the right time to fish this lake is vital.

 Large Mouth, small mouth and rock bass are abundant in this lake, with large mouths having the biggest population.  This is your perfect lake for plastics.  Wacky style, Texas style, Carolina style, drop shotting, or old fashion style are all successful choices.  Live bait works well with larger minnows, crawlers and leeches by season.  Check area fishing reports to determine how the fish are staging.  Bass can be found at almost every part of this lake.  There can be some mega fish in the lake, but generally large mouth run in the 13-16” size range.

 Big Cedar also plays host to a large population of pan fish.  Perch, crappies and bluegills can be found along the weed lines in the shallow bays or close to shore near the islands.   We have also done well in the channel which leads to Gilbert Lake on the north end of the lake.  Common methods of fishing for pan fish work well on this lake and occasionally sizable fish can be taken.  The gills will move into deeper water and suspend after the main spawning period has completed.  In general, the pan fish run on the small size due to the constant pressure this lake receives being near a major metropolitan area.

 Trophy pikes are caught on this body of water regularly (40 inch minimum).  The south end bay where the fast breaks are located (along Highland Park Dr) is prime hunting grounds.  Shallow weedy locations adjacent to deep water are also areas to target.  I have found these fish are seasonal feeders, so lure size selection is vital.  Smaller pike are always active, and are annoyed by rattle traps.  This is a great bait on this body of water for pike and bass.  Rattle traps in the bluegill or crawfish color schemes are always winners. 

 Walleyes can be targeted in deeper water off of the weed lines.  Using jigs and crawlers is a popular summer tactic.  The southwest corner can also produce eyes on the    break lines.  Once the thermocline emerges, walleyes go deep, so target at 35 feet plus at that time of the year.  There are occasional reports of walleye caught in the upper 20 inch range. Trolling is permitted on this body of water and is a viable option, especially when boat traffic is at a minimum. 

 This lake receives a lot of attention during Ice fishing season also.  Most of the species can be targeted, and this lake will produce in the winter months.  A lake map can be found here:  http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/fhp/lakes/lakemap/0025300z.htm

Special thanks to Brian Romagnoli for supplying the pictures for this article.