Round Lake

How big is Round Lake?

How deep is Round Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Round Lake?

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What are the best fishing times for Round Lake?

Are there boat launches on Round Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Round Lake?

Round Lake is a moderate sized lake with clear water and abundant sandy shorelines located in west central Aitkin County. There is a county owned public access with a concrete log ramp in the southwest corner of the lake. The fish community consists of several popular species, many with favorable size structure.

Walleye were first stocked into Round Lake in the 1960's and have been stocked regularly since 1981 at various rates and frequencies. The current walleye population is largely the result of fry stocking, which has occurred in alternate years since around 1997. The walleye catch of 5.8 per gill net was within the normal range for similar lakes and above the goal set in the management plan of 5.0 per gill net. Age analysis revealed that natural reproduction does occur and 25% of the catch was from non-stocked years. The 2009 year-class, a fry stocked year, accounted for 40% of the catch and should provide good angling opportunities in the coming years. These fish ranged from 10 to 15 inches at the time of this survey. Combining the catch from all survey gears, sizes ranged from 7 to 29 inches with an average of 14.8 inches and 1.4 pounds.

The northern pike catch has decreased in each survey since 1992, and the 2012 catch of 4.7 per gill net followed this trend. Size of pike was good and ranged from 14 to 34 inches with an average of 22 inches and 2.5 pounds. Growth was also good with pike reaching 24 inches in five growing seasons. Anglers are encouraged to recycle the larger pike to maximize anglers' fishing experiences and to maintain a good pike size structure.

Largemouth bass anglers should have ample opportunities to catch good sized fish. Although only 11 fish were captured in standard survey gear, spring night electrofishing was conducted to provide additional information on the status of the population. This survey collected 56 bass in one hour of sampling, ranging from 10 to 19 inches with an average of 14.6 inches and 1.8 pounds.

Panfish populations continue to persist at low densities with fast growth. Bluegill abundance decreased from the previous survey to 5.4 per trap net but size structure improved. Most of the sample (69%) was greater than 7 inches in length and growth was good with fish reaching 5.4 inches in four growing seasons. Few black crappie were collected in survey nets, but individuals over 13 inches were sampled.

Yellow perch abundance decreased from the last survey to 8.8 per gill net, but was still within the normal range. In 2012, the catch was well below the average from the previous nine surveys of the lake dating back to 1955 of about 30 per gill net. This decrease in the population is a cause for some concern given the importance of perch as a prey item for all gamefish species in the lake. Shallow vegetated areas provide perch with cover and spawning habitat and should be protected to the extent possible to maximize the natural resilience of the population.

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Are there any state parks near Round Lake?