Poplar Lake (Cook County)
Cook County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 16023900
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Poplar Lake (Cook County) since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (6,032 fish).
- Poplar Lake (Cook County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 62,307 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 73 ft; surface area 764 acres, 290 littoral acres, 23.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, burbot, lake whitefish, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Cook County, nearest town Grand Marais; DNR lake number (DOW) 16023900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/18/1979 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,032 | 377.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 17,216 | 586.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,206 | 400.3 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 20,250 | 578.6 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 11,603 | 580.1 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 | USF | New concrete access at the west end of the lake is reached from a road the Gunflint Trail (Co. Rd. 12). Parking for many vehicles. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Poplar Lake on August 5th, 2024, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Whitefish, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake. During the summer, Lake Whitefish require a layer of oxythermal habitat that contains water temperatures below 17.2 degrees C (63.0 degrees F) and dissolved oxygen concentrations above 3.0 mg/L. Based on the profile from the deepest basin (maximum sampled depth 65.6 feet), the water temperature decreased below 17.2 degrees C (63.0 degrees F) at 18.4 feet and the dissolved oxygen concentration decreased to 3.0 mg/L at 64.1 feet at the time of sampling. The thickness of this layer of water in the water column was 45.7 feet, indicating that oxythermal habitat was present for Lake Whitefish. Further, the temperature at which dissolved oxygen decreased to 3.0 mg/L (i.e., TDO3, a single variable to characterize oxythermal habitat) was 9.3 degrees C (48.7 degrees F). TDO3 values cooler than 17.2 degrees C (63.0 degrees F) indicate that oxythermal conditions were suitable for Lake Whitefish at the time of the survey. Data collected by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources during the late summer period of maximum oxythermal stress (July 26th to Aug 24th) in 6 years between 1984-2023 also indicate suitable oxythermal habitat in all years surveyed, with the least favorable conditions recorded in 2024. When inadequate oxythermal habitat is available, Lake Whitefish are squeezed into unfavorable, warmer water conditions and experience higher levels of stress.
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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