Poplar Lake
Cook County, Minnesota23 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Poplar Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 30 ft max depth
Poplar Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 23.2 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on October 3, 2013 caught 3.00 northern pike per gill net at Poplar Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 16–24 inches. DNR survey details →
Poplar Lake is a 23-acre mesotrophic lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 30 feet (8-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including brook trout, northern pike, and white sucker. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Cook County, Poplar Lake ranks #11 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Poplar Lake covers about 23 acres in Cook County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Poplar Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Poplar Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.2 ft of visibility
- Fishing3 species recorded
- Deep water30 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Poplar 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 Poplar Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Poplar 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 10.2 ft. Phosphorus 9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.3 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 9µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Poplar Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Poplar Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 58°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 59°F) and coldest in May (about 49°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (49°F) to its warmest (59°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 175 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Poplar Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on October 3, 2013 caught 3.00 northern pike per gill net at Poplar Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 16–24 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Poplar 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: 2013-10-03 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2013-10-03 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brook Trout | 11.54 | 19 in 2013-10-03 | 1.48 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 6.22 | 3–4 in 2002-09-19 | 0.07 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 5.58 | 6–8 in 2002-09-19 | 0.14 lb |
| White Sucker | 3.71 | 11–13 in 2013-10-03 | 1.15 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.17 | 16–24 in 2013-10-03 | 2.07 lb |
| Walleye | 1.00 | 4.25 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.
Brook Trout
Pumpkinseed
Yellow Perch
White Sucker
From the 2013-10-03 survey
In June 2013 a local guide reported seeing northern pike in Lizz Lake, and he reported there were no more brook trout present. This assessment was done to confirm that report. Lizz Lake was reclaimed for stream trout management in 1985, using a fish toxicant to remove its original fish community (walleye, northern…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Poplar Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — LizzFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
30 ft
Average depth
8.3 ft
Surface area
23 acres
Shoreline
1.5 mi
Littoral zone
91%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
7 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,854 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Poplar Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Poplar Lake in Cook 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 Poplar Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Poplar Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.2 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.16 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Poplar Lake
Where is Poplar Lake?
- Poplar Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Poplar Lake?
- Poplar Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 23.2 acres.
Is Poplar 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 Poplar Lake?
- Poplar Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in September, from 175 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Poplar Lake?
- Poplar Lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet and an average depth of 8.3 feet. The lake covers 23.2 acres.
What fish are in Poplar Lake?
- Fish species found in Poplar Lake include brook trout, northern pike, white sucker. Poplar Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Poplar Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on October 3, 2013 caught 3.00 northern pike per gill net at Poplar Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 16–24 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Poplar 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 Poplar Lake?
- Public access to Poplar 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.
Explore Poplar Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
77 measurements from 3 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
MNPCA77 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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