Fishing Cedar Hedge Lake

Cedar Hedge Lake offers a rare inland cisco fishery that makes it unique among Grand Traverse County's smaller lakes. The 2017 survey found 24 fish species, but growth rates run below state averages across the board - northern pike are the slowest growers at 2.9 inches below average, while largemouth bass trail by 1.5 inches. Bluegill dominate the numbers at 45% of the catch, but only 30% reach the 6-inch harvest size compared to 75% of rock bass reaching that mark. The lake's 70-foot hole on the southwest side near the boat launch contrasts with the shallow northeast end where most of the lake runs under 10 feet deep over sand and marl bottom with muck around the island. Aquatic vegetation includes chara, bulrush, coontail, and waterlilies providing good structure. Northern pike made up over 20% of the catch by weight with fish from 14-34 inches, though only 14% reached the 24-inch legal size. The cisco population, listed as state threatened, makes this a special fishery - these lake herring are popular ice fishing targets along with bluegill, crappie, and yellow perch during winter months. Summer anglers focus on bass and panfish around the structure. Black crappie are uncommon in small inland lakes but all four collected were harvestable size. The diverse forage base includes nine minnow and small fish species that weren't captured in earlier surveys, indicating a healthy ecosystem despite the slow predator growth. Master Angler entries since 1994 include a 40-inch northern pike and 21-inch smallmouth bass, showing the lake's trophy potential.