Round Lake Fishing near Keewatin, Minnesota

• Overview

  Minnesota holds Round Lake, in Itasca County. The water sits 1,371 feet up. It measures some 450 acres, and wind has room to build across it. At about 3.7 miles of edge, most people work one arm at a time. Few waters listed in Itasca County are bigger. Some 19 miles away sits Keewatin, the nearest settlement. After that come Coleraine at 22 miles and Hibbing at 23 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Round Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish documented in Itasca County include yellow perch, largemouth bass and northern pike. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Work Round Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 66°F; by January the average is down near 5°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. On average, mid April opens the water and late November closes it again. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Round Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, White Swan Lake is 1.4 miles distant. Ask locally about Round Lake if anything is unclear.