Round Lake (Itasca County)
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31026800
DNR records show 3 stocking entries at Round Lake (Itasca County) since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (4,302 fish).
- Round Lake (Itasca County) has 3 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2017-2025): walleye (3).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 15,555 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 40 ft; surface area 460 acres, 239 littoral acres, 4.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 14.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Bigfork; DNR lake number (DOW) 31026800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,302 | 239.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,517 | 239.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,736 | 239.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | county | Mid-way north shore. |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 17.11 | 154 | 0.18 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 15.33 | 138 | 0.22 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 14.44 | 130 | 0.40 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 6.33 | 57 | 1.12 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 5.44 | 49 | 0.52 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 36 | 4.39 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 3.67 | 33 | 0.84 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.56 | 5 | 3.69 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Round Lake is a 502-acre lake located 18 miles southeast of Bigfork, Minnesota in the Mississippi River watershed. There is a county-owned public access on the north side of the lake with limited parking. Most of the shoreline is privately-owned and relatively developed. Round Lake has moderate fertility and clear water. The Fisheries Lake Management Plan (LMP) was last updated in 2016. Walleye were considered the primary management species while Northern Pike and Largemouth Bass were considered secondary management species. Walleye are actively managed via stocking of Mississippi strain fingerlings every fourth year. A targeted survey utilizing nine gill nets was conducted in July 2022 to collect updated information on the fishery. Yellow Perch are an important prey species in Minnesota lakes. Round Lake has generally had relatively high perch numbers compared to similar lakes. The 2022 gill-net catch (17.1/net) was above average compared to similar type lakes, but typical for Round. Perch were generally too small to be of interest to anglers, ranging from 5.7 to 9.6 inches with an average length of 7.3 inches. Walleye were sampled at a catch rate of 6.3/gill net. This was an above average catch for the lake and met the LMP goal. The sample was predominantly "eater-sized" Walleye. Fish ranged from 7.4 to 22.6 inches with an average length of 14.6 inches. Eight ages from 1 to 13 were represented in the sample. A stocked year-class (2017, age 5) was the most frequently sampled. Growth was considered average. Walleye averaged 14.9 inches after 5 years of growth. Round Lake appears to provide good fishing opportunities for Walleye. Conditions should be favorable for Walleye management if perch numbers remain healthy. Northern Pike were sampled at 4.0/gill net. This was an average catch for the lake and similar type lakes. Size structure was favorable. Pike ranged from 13.6 to 37.9 inches with an average length of 25.7 inches. Ages 1 through 10 were identified in the sample with no dominant year class. Growth was good compared to the statewide average. Pike averaged 25.1 inches after four years of growth. Round Lake provides good angling opportunities for Northern Pike with a chance to catch fish exceeding 30 inches. Anglers are encouraged to release pike over 26 inches to maintain the quality size structure. Black Crappie catch rates have generally been low in past surveys. The 2022 gill-net catch rate (3.7/net) was above average for the lake and compared to similar lakes. Crappie size structure was good. Sampled crappie ranged from 6.2 to 13.8 inches…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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