Round Lake (Otter Tail County)
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56021400
DNR records show 12 stocking entries at Round Lake (Otter Tail County) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (3,500 fish).
- Round Lake (Otter Tail County) has 12 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (12).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,119,425 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 36 ft; surface area 273 acres, 220 littoral acres, 2.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Ottertail; DNR lake number (DOW) 56021400.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,500 | 200.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 1,575 | 164.1 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 220,000 | 1.9 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,550 | 250.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 220,000 | 2.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 1,850 | 125.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 220,000 | 1.9 |
| 2020 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,750 | 125.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,000 | 125.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 220,000 | 1.9 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,200 | 125.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 220,000 | 1.9 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2010
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 211.78 | 1,906 | 0.02 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 5.44 | 49 | 0.19 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.89 | 17 | 0.34 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.57 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.49 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 1.20 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 3.98 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.32 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 77.33 | 464 | 0.11 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 26.67 | 160 | 0.10 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 20.67 | 124 | 2.01 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 5.50 | 33 | 0.09 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.50 | 15 | 0.44 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 9 | 0.28 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 8 | 2.19 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.17 | 7 | 0.60 |
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 262 acre eutrophic (fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County approximately four miles north of Ottertail, MN. The immediate watershed consists primarily of hardwood woodlots and marshland. It has a maximum depth of 36 feet; however, 84% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2004 survey was 8.1 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 3.4 to 9.0 feet. Moderate development exists along the north and east shorelines. The development consists of homes and cabins. A state owned public water access is located on the east shoreline, however; parking is very limited. Shoreline substrates consist primarily of sand interspersed with areas of gravel. Emergent vegetation (hardstem bulrush, cattails, and wild rice) is located throughout the basin. Emergent plants are important because they provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines from erosion and can even absorb and break down pollutants from the water. Emergent plants provide spawning areas for fish species such as northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish. They also are important nursery areas for all species of fish. Because of their ecological importance, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. Round Lake contains populations of northern pike, bluegill, and walleye. A high-density northern pike population exists. Age data indicate that the 2008 year class is very strong. Twenty percent of the pike were 24.0 inches or greater in length. Pike ranged in length from 11.6 to 31.8 inches with an average length and weight of 20.7 inches and 2.0 pounds. Pike attain an average length of 21.6 inches at four years of age. Bluegill abundance is extremely high. The 2004 year class is very strong. Twelve percent of the bluegills were 7.0 or greater in length. Bluegills attain an average length of 6.7 inches at seven years of age. Walleye abundance has historically been low. Walleyes ranged in length from 9.9 to 22.5 inches with an average length and weight of 17.8 inches and 2.2 pounds. Walleye abundance is likely limited by predation from the high-density northern pike population. Anglers can maintain the quality of angling by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium to large size fish while allowing the harvest of more abundant smaller fish for table fare. Releasing the medium to large fish will ensure that the lake will have enough spawning age fish on an annual basis and will provide anglers with more…
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. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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