Oops, they did it again: Angler breaks MN catch-and-release lake trout record in Lake Superior for the second time this year
Jun 04, 2026 12:07PM ● By Content Editor
Photo: MN Fish and Wildlife Facebook page
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - June 4, 2026
Well, it's happened again. For the second time this year, the Minnesota certified catch-and-release record for lake trout has been broken.
In April 2026, the MN Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that Matthew Hammer of White Bear Township caught a 44-inch lake trout from Lake Superior that same month. This broke the previously held record of 43.25 inches set by Isaiah Bartlett of Culver, who caught the large fish in the St. Louis County portion of Lake Superior in 2025.
Now, the DNR has confirmed that the record has been broken yet again. Joe Bouta of Benson, MN, caught a 45.5-inch lake trout in Lake Superior in May, which has been certified as the new state catch-and-release record.
According to the MN DNR, certifying a state record requires meeting set qualifications. Eligible fish must be caught during open season from public waters, excluding private, club, or government hatcheries, and applications must be submitted within 90 days of the catch. For documentation, catch-and-release hopefuls require clear photographs showing the entire flat measuring tool with the fish's snout at zero and the tail squeezed, while weight-based records require verification on a certified scale and species identification by two DNR fisheries biologists at an Area Fisheries Office.
And while specific qualifications are required today, prior to 1980, record fish submissions did not require certified weighing. Because of that, the state record for non-certified weight for lake trout remains at 43 pounds and 8 ounces, for a fish caught off Hovland, MN, in Lake Superior in 1955.
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - June 4, 2026
Well, it's happened again. For the second time this year, the Minnesota certified catch-and-release record for lake trout has been broken.
In April 2026, the MN Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that Matthew Hammer of White Bear Township caught a 44-inch lake trout from Lake Superior that same month. This broke the previously held record of 43.25 inches set by Isaiah Bartlett of Culver, who caught the large fish in the St. Louis County portion of Lake Superior in 2025.
Now, the DNR has confirmed that the record has been broken yet again. Joe Bouta of Benson, MN, caught a 45.5-inch lake trout in Lake Superior in May, which has been certified as the new state catch-and-release record.
According to the MN DNR, certifying a state record requires meeting set qualifications. Eligible fish must be caught during open season from public waters, excluding private, club, or government hatcheries, and applications must be submitted within 90 days of the catch. For documentation, catch-and-release hopefuls require clear photographs showing the entire flat measuring tool with the fish's snout at zero and the tail squeezed, while weight-based records require verification on a certified scale and species identification by two DNR fisheries biologists at an Area Fisheries Office.
And while specific qualifications are required today, prior to 1980, record fish submissions did not require certified weighing. Because of that, the state record for non-certified weight for lake trout remains at 43 pounds and 8 ounces, for a fish caught off Hovland, MN, in Lake Superior in 1955.
