The Minnesota Department of Fish & Wildlife has officially confirmed a 43.25-inch laker caught on March 12 from Lake Superior as the new state record lake trout. The agency posted the news on its Facebook page this week, cementing angler Isaiah Bartlett and his trout in Minnesota fishing history. His catch beat the state’s previous catch-and-release laker record — which is kept by length rather than weight — by only 3/4 inch.
Bartlett, who hails from Culver, Minnesota, had never caught a lake trout before and was aboard guide Ethan Waytashek’s 18.5-foot aluminum Warrior boat. He was deep-jigging white 2-ounce tubes about 1.5 miles offshore with an 8-foot rod rigged with 20-pound braid and a 15-pound fluoro leader when the monster laker hit, reported Outdoor Life back in March. After a 10-minute fight, the fish was measured and released without being weighed, but Bartlett estimated it was between 25 and 30 pounds.
It seems Waytashek has a knack for leading people to laker records on Superior. He guided Kelsey Vanderheyden on Lake Superior on April 21, 2024, when she caught the 42.5-inch fish that Barlett’s trout has now replaced in the top slot.
“This morning Isaiah had never caught a lake trout, let’s just say that changed today,” Waytashek posted on Facebook the day Bartlett’s trout was caught. “Started with a couple average ones, then a 36-incher and then the beast! Kelsey had caught the State Record catch and release with me last year at 42.50 inches, this one is 43.50 inches! It was a seemingly slow day of fishing but the monster bite made up for it!”
