Round

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.

Round Lake is a 1,094-acre 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 recreational fishery in Round Lake today can be described as predominantly Northern Pike, Walleye, and panfish. The MN DNR Detroit Lakes Fisheries staff and the White Earth Natural Resources Department (WENRD) staff work in partnership to stock Walleye fingerlings biennially. Northern Pike catch rates have remained relatively high in Round Lake since the 1980s'. About 19 pike were caught per net in 2020, above the lake's historical average of 12 pike per net. Sampled pike measured between 10.8 and 26.7 inches long, with an average length of 18.5 inches. Pike between 17 and 20 inches in length dominated catch, accounting for approximately 45.6% of sampled pike. Catch rates of Walleye in Round Lake have fluctuated between four and ten fish per net since the 1972 survey. About 10 Walleye were caught per net in 2020, almost double the catch rate observed in the last three surveys. Sampled Walleye ranged in length from 9.8 to 28.0 inches, averaging 15.7 inches long. Walleye belonging to the 2016 year-class dominated catch, accounting for 56.3% of aged fish. Yellow Perch catch rates peaked in the 1981 survey and have declined in surveys since. In 2020, one perch was caught per net on average. Sampled perch ranged in length from 6.2 to 11.5 inches, averaging 8.9 inches long. Bluegill catch rates have fluctuated considerably in Round Lake over time. In 2020, 17 Bluegill were caught per net on average. Sampled Bluegill ranged in length from 2.8 to 8.9 inches, averaging 4.9 inches long. No Bluegill over nine inches were sampled and it requires at least nine years for Bluegill to reach eight inches long. Black Crappie have been sampled in relatively low numbers in Round Lake across survey years. A total of six crappie were collected in 2020. Sampled crappie ranged in length from 3.6 to 12.9 inches. Similar to crappie, Largemouth Bass catch rates in Round Lake are historically low. In 2020, a total of 23 Largemouth Bass were collected in gill nets and four in trap nets. Sampled bass ranged in length from 5.9 to 15.3 inches, averaging 13.3 inches long. In cooperation with the MN DNR and United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Lake Sturgeon have been stocked into Round Lake by the WENRD. A total of 117 sturgeon were caught in nets in 2020. Sampled sturgeon ranged in length from 8.0 to 39.4 inches, averaging 19.1 inches long. Additional species sampled in this survey included Bullhead (Black, Brown, and Yellow), Bowfin, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Cisco, Common Shiner, Muskellunge, and White Sucker.

A targeted survey of near shore fish species was conducted on July 22-23, 2015 by Lake IBI program staff. Sampling stations were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 14 stations with 4 sites sampled from the boat due to unstable footing. A 50-foot seine was used to sample 7 stations, a 15-foot seine was used at 1 station, and conditions prevented the use of seines at 6 sampling sites. Nearshore sampling captured 26 species of fish including several species that are considered intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Least Darter, Logperch, Mimic Shiner, and Weed Shiner) and two tolerant species (Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). Data from this survey is combined with data from a standard game fish survey completed in 2015 to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biologic Integrity (IBI) that describes the overall health of the fish community. The Fish IBI score for Round Lake is exceptionally high compared to similar lakes and indicates a diverse and robust fish community.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Hybrid Sunfish, Black Crappie, Rock Bass, and Largemouth Bass in Round. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Round. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Round has a maximum depth of 69 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Round is from 2025.

No invasive species are on record for Round in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.