Round Lake

How big is Round Lake?

How deep is Round Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Round Lake?

What are the closest cities to Round Lake?

Are there boat launches on Round Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Round Lake?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Round Lake?

Round Lake is a 930-acre lake, located in Jackson County approximately 9 miles southeast of the city of Worthington. Round Lake was part of a research project that evaluated the performance of two strains of Walleye, the Lower Mississippi Strain (LMS) and the Mississippi Strain (MIS), from 2018 to 2022. However, during 2020, no stocking was done as no Walleye egg-take operations were conducted due to the start of the COVID pandemic causing a DNR close-contact work moratorium. The total fry quota for Round Lake was 473,500, of which half were MIS and half were LMS. The MIS Walleye come from northern Minnesota (Pine River egg-take) and until recently, were the primary strain stocked in Windom management area. The LMS originated in the Cannon River system, was stocked in area lakes in the 1980's and early 1990's, and has persisted in some area Walleye populations despite extensive stocking of northern Minnesota strains of Walleye. LMS Walleye are present in Murray County's Lake Sarah (current LMS egg-take location), a lake that hasn't been stocked since 1991 because the Walleye population is sustained at high levels through natural reproduction. The study found that LMS Walleye performed best and thus would be stocked exclusively into Round Lake moving forward. To continue to evaluate LMS Walleye fry stocking in 2023 night electrofishing was on 10 October 2023. Two hours of electrofishing was utilized so that the data could be incorporated into a continuing statewide study of Walleye lakes with and without zebra mussels (Round Lake is without zebra mussels).

Only 236,750 LMS Walleye fry were stocked in Round Lake in 2023, half the amount stocked during the LMS vs. MIS study. This reduction is a result of LMS advantage found during the study on Round Lake and the lack of MIS Walleye that were found in sampling. Essentially, we discovered we could stock half the amount of Walleye fry than historically done and realize a similar outcome, if not better, with LMS strain Walleye. Ninety-three age-0 Walleye were captured during 2.0 hours of electrofishing (46.5 per hour). Walleye ranged in length from 5.9 to 8.4 inches and averaged 7.0 inches. A night electrofishing catch rate greater than 30 per hour with fish larger than 5 inches is a good indication that the stocking was successful and the fish have a high likelihood of getting to 13 inches or greater. Overall, the Walleye population is doing well on Round Lake and continued LMS fry stocking will help to boost the potential of the population. Down the road, if natural reproduction is consistent and strong, the Walleye population of Round Lake may be similar to Lake Sarah in that stocking will not be necessary. Additional sampling utilizing gill nets and trap nets will occur in 2025 and should help to determine the overall contribution of the 2023 year class to the overall population.

What is the average air temp for Round Lake?

Are there any state parks near Round Lake?