Minnesota · Becker County

Round Lake Fishing guide

Round Lake sits in Becker County, Minnesota, and covers 1,094 acres, reaching 69 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 12.1 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 14 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and muskellunge in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 69 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface1,094 ac

Max depth69 ft

Clarity12.1 ft

Littoral43%

Surveyed2025

How to fish Round Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. At 12.1 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
Early summer: Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
Summer: Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure. On a lake that drops to 69 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.

Northern pike

Spring: Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 12.1 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
Early summer: Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
Summer: Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. On a lake that drops to 69 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.

Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Walleye	Northern pike	Largemouth bass
2025	26"	30"	18"
2020	27"	26"	15"
2015	23"	32"	19"
2010	21"	26"	17"
2005	29"	32"	15"
2000	21"	35"	16"
1995	23"	34"	19"

Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.

Suggested tackle

What to bring

Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:

Walleye · Live bait

Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler

jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler

8–35 ftslow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Trolling

Leadcore Line + Crankbaits

4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run

15–45 fttrolling

Shop deep-diving crankbaits →

Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead

3–25 ftmoderate

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Northern pike · Jigs & bladed

Inline Spinner (Mepps/Blue Fox)

#2–#4 in-line spinner

1–10 ftmoderate

Shop inline spinners →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

Shop plastic worms →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Free Rig

Creature bait or magnum finesse worm

8–30 ftdead slowweedless

Shop creature baits →

Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DNR stocking records

Stocking history

Year	Species	Stocked
2024	Walleye	2,956 fingerlings
2022	Walleye	7,095 fingerlings
2020	Walleye	10,160 fingerlings
2019	Lake Sturgeon	1,801 fingerlings
2018	Lake Sturgeon	1,835 fingerlings
2018	Walleye	9,933 fingerlings
2017	Lake Sturgeon	1,000 fingerlings
2016	Lake Sturgeon	1,900 fingerlings
2016	Walleye	7,520 fingerlings · 685 yearlings · 65 adults

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2025 survey

Round Lake is a 1,094-acre, class-27 lake located in northeastern Becker County within the White Earth Indian Reservation. A portion of the southwest shore is located in the Tamarack National Wildlife Refuge. The lake's shoreline is moderately developed with approximately 92 homes and one resort. Round Lake is classified as mesotrophic and possesses 473 acres of littoral area. The MN DNR Detroit Lakes Fisheries staff and the White Earth Natural Resources (WENR) staff work in partnership to stock Walleye fingerlings biennially into Round Lake. In addition, the WENR and US Fish and Wildlife Service have stocked Lake Sturgeon fingerlings. Round Lake possesses a robust fishery with angling opportunities for Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and other species. A standard fisheries survey was completed in July 2025 to assess the fish populations in Round Lake.

Anglers will find a high abundance of Northern Pike in Round Lake, however, most of these fish will be small. The catch rate in 2025 was the highest ever for the lake and about 86% of the pike sampled were less than 22 inches. The average size of the pike captured was 18.5 inches and the longest was 30.3 inches. Walleye numbers continue to be good with eight Walleye per gill net, which is over the lake's average. Walleye size is a bit smaller compared to other area lakes, but 56% of the Walleye captured in 2025 were over 15 inches and 20% were over 20 inches. Walleyes up to 27 inches were sampled. Bluegill numbers were below average for the lake. Bluegills of all sizes were observed, but fish over eight inches were not common. Only 3% of the Bluegill caught in trap nets were over eight inches and the longest Bluegill measured was 8.5 inches. Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass were captured in low numbers in the trap nets, which is often the case with this sampling gear. Black Crappie up to 12.5 inches and Largemouth Bass up to 18.25 inches were captured. Lake Sturgeon were not as plentiful as previous surveys; however, their average size continues to increase. Other fish species sampled were Bowfin, Brown and Yellow Bullhead, hybrid sunfish, Rock Bass, White Sucker and a Muskellunge that measured 46.6 inches. Muskellunge are not stocked in Round Lake but likely migrated downstream from Many Point Lake.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Round Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Round Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.

Open the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report

Becker County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Round Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Round Lake depth map

Round Lake depth contour map, Becker County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 69 ft from Minnesota DNR bathymetry, free to save or print. The live map adds ranked spots and conditions on the same contours.

Within 30 miles

Nearby lakes

Ice Cracking Lake · 345 ac · 1.8 mi
Waboose Lake · 232 ac · 2.3 mi
Many Point Lake · 1,701 ac · 3 mi
Little Bemidji Lake · 293 ac · 4.2 mi
Winter Lake · 117 ac · 5.1 mi
Elbow Lake · 995 ac · 6.5 mi
Island Lake · 1,180 ac · 7.1 mi
Juggler Lake · 429 ac · 7.4 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Round Lake?

Round Lake reaches 69 ft at its deepest point; about 43% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Round Lake?

Round Lake covers 1,094 acres with about 5.6 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Round Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Round Lake average 12.1 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Round Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, muskellunge, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, lake sturgeon, rock bass.

Is Round Lake stocked?

Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2024; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2016.

Does Round Lake have a public access?

Yes. Round Lake has one public access site: Round Lake (trailer launch).

How big do walleye get in Round Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 26"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1995.

When was Round Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Round Lake in 2025, the most recent of 14 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Round Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Round Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report