Round Lake in Butte County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Round Lake falls in Butte County, part of Idaho. The bank is 9,432 feet above sea level. It covers about 6 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Most waters listed here for Butte County are larger. Supplies mean a trip to Sun Valley, 26 miles off. Then Ketchum, 27 miles, and Hailey, 28 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Round Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Reported across Butte County: rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, Arctic grayling and brook trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Round Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 53°F; by January the average is down near 17°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late May. Average temperatures cross freezing around late May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Time your trip to Round Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Long Lake, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position on Round Lake before loading the car.