Poplar Lake's Last Lake Trout

As far back as anyone around Poplar Lake remembers, Poplar was noted for producing big lake trout. Then the walleyes came in and the lake trout began to disappear. It has always been my belief that sometime during the mid-1950's Ben Katzenmeyer caught the last lake trout out of Poplar Lake. Ben's cabin near Rockwood Lodge is now owned by the Moes.

The other day I was at Windigo Lodge and we were discussing Poplar Lake and Char Ekroot Nelson had another version of Poplar Lake's last lake trout. According to Char, sometime in the fall of about 1969, shortly after the Ekroots had purchased the lodge, a guest came into the lodge and stated he was going out to fish lake trout on Poplar. The Ekroot informed him that while the lake used to be good for trout, there was not any trout left. However a boat was readied, the Ekroots wished the fishing party good luck and the man and his teenage son set-out on in search of, on Poplar at least, that elusive lake trout

After sometime out on the lake the fishing party return with a large lake trout caught by the son. In fact the fish was large enough to enter it in the fishing contest sponsored by Midway Service Station, now Bucks Hardware. The fish even ended winning a prize for the biggest lake trout.

By now the story was out about the Lake Trout from Poplar. Few, on the Gunflint Trail, could believed the trout came from Poplar. Even Justine Kerfoot and Janet Hanson, who as of yet had not met their new neighbors the Ekroots, came down from Gunflint to dispute the claim the fish was out of Poplar. However over tea, Char produced a photograph of the fish and informed Justine and Janet that the trout catching fishing party when they went out fishing went out by boat, no canoe to travel to any other lake and they did not leave Poplar by car to go to any other lake to fish.

So it looks like my story about Poplar Lake's last lake trout needs to be corrected- the last lake trout was caught in Poplar not in the mid 1950's but in 1969. However, please let me know if you have another idea when the last lake trout was taken in Poplar. Perhaps there are other version as to when the last trout was really taken!