Round

Round Lake (Camp Ripley) is a 127-acre waterbody located five miles northeast of Randall. A public access is located on the southwestern side of the lake. A small part of the eastern shoreline (about 800 feet) lies within the Camp Ripley Military Base. Water clarity typically measures more than ten feet and there is abundant aquatic vegetation throughout the lake. The sport fishery in Round Lake is pretty simple and consists of Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Black Crappie Northern Pike and Walleye. Pike abundance is high but most are less than 20 inches. Fisheries managers suggest taking advantage of the statewide ten fish Northern Pike bag limit on Round Lake by keeping small fish under 22 inches and releasing larger individuals. The Walleye fishery was established by many years of stocking however, these efforts appear to have produced only a modest fishery. A few Walleyes over 20 inches were captured in survey nets but the population is very low-density. Bluegill and Black Crappies can provide good fishing opportunities but average size is on the small side. Largemouth Bass are present in good numbers and are known to attain good size. Close to 50 percent of bass captured during electrofishing measured greater than 15 inches. Round Lake was used as a Muskellunge broodstock lake in the 1990s. Sporadic stocking of fingerlings and adults has continued when available in order to provide a unique fishery. Presently the fishery is best described as low-density, comprised of a few adult fish in various sizes. The chance of catching a trophy is minimal but not impossible.

Round Lake is a small lake with a maximum depth of 20 feet. The lake has moderate development around 3/4 of the lake shore with Camp Ripley Military Reservation bordering the lake on the east side. Water clarity in early July was excellent at 15 feet which allowed aquatic vegetation to grow to a depth of 18 feet. Dense submergent vegetation beds grow throughout much of the lake. The lake has high recreational value with fishing, boating, swimming, and water skiing being common activities. The lake supports a variety of fish species which attract anglers such as Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Walleye, Bluegill, and Black Crappie. The lake has very little structure other than the weed lines and a hump on the southeast side. With the clear water, fishing for some of the species such as Walleye may be best at night. While many of the fish caught in the summer survey were not that impressive in terms of size, the lake has been known to produce some trophy size Largemouth Bass, Walleye, and Black Crappie. Legal size Muskellunge over 40 inches are present and can provide a challenge for those anglers seeking larger esocids. The Walleye population is sustained by every-other year stocking but few fish appear to recruit to the fishery. Round Lake has an abundance of both small Northern Pike and Bluegill. Average size for the pike in the summer survey was 18 inches or 1.3 pounds. With the abundance of small pike, growth was slow. The Bluegill also grow slow and few appear to exceed seven inches in length. Most of the crappie captured in the survey were also small by most anglers' standards but an occasional larger fish can be found. Round Lake can serve as a lake to try on windy days for people not wishing to fish larger lakes like Alexander, Shamineau, and Fish Trap. Selective harvest is encouraged for both angling and spearing to minimize impact on the fish community. Know the difference in appearance between Muskellunge and Northern Pike if spearing for pike. Harvesting Northern Pike under 24 inches and releasing large pike if you catch one will help improve the quality and balance of the fish community. Proper land use practices in the watershed and along the shorelines are encouraged to protect the water quality in Round Lake. Minimizing vegetation removal along the lakeshore will help protect the shoreline from erosion, provide fish and wildlife habitat, and reduce nutrients entering the water.

Round Lake is a small lake with a maximum depth of 20 feet. The lake has moderate development around 3/4 of the lake shore with Camp Ripley Military Reservation bordering the lake on the east side. Water clarity in early July was excellent at 15 feet which allowed aquatic vegetation to grow to a depth of 18 feet. Dense vegetation beds dominated by Robbins' pondweed and white-stem pondweed grew around the lake. Sand was the most common shallow water substrate. The water has high recreational value with fishing, boating, swimming, and water skiing being common activities. Anglers were fishing for muskellunge and panfish during the lake survey. The lake supports a varierty of fish species which attract anglers such as largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, walleye, bluegill, and black crappies. The lake has very little structure other than the weed lines and a hump on the southeast side. With the clear water, fishing for some of the species such as walleye may be best at night. While the fish caught in the summer survey were not that impressive, the lake has been known to produce some trophy size largemouth bass, walleye, bluegills, and black crappies. Legal size muskies over 40 inches are present and can provide a challenge for those anglers seeking larger esocids. Round Lake has an abundance of small bluegills which can provide alot of action for young kids. Most of the crappies seen in the survey were also small by most anglers' standards but an occasional larger fish can be found. Round Lake can serve as a lake to try on windy days for people not wishing to fish larger lakes like Alexander, Shamineau, and Fish Trap. Neasus was common on the bluegills and pumpkinseeds. Neascus is a black trematode or parasite usually found in the skin of the fish. The life cycle includes snails, fish, and fish-eating birds such as herons. Filleting the fish removes most of the parasites and cooking will kill the rest. Humans cannot be infested by neascus. Selective harvest is encouraged for both angling and spearing to minimize impact on the fish community. Know the difference in appearance between muskellunge and northern pike if spearing for pike. Harvesting northern pike under 24 inches and bluegills under 7 inches will help improve the quality and balance of the fish community. Proper land use practices in the watershed and along the shorelines are encouraged to protect the water quality in Round Lake. Minimizing vegetation removal along the lakeshore will help protect the shoreline from erosion, provide fish and wildlife habitat, and reduce nutrients entering the water.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Muskellunge, and Green Sunfish 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 20 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Round is from 2019.

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.