Fishing at Round Lake, Martin County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Out in Martin County, Minnesota, sits Round Lake. The surface lies 1,165 feet up. With some 41 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Bank access stretches around 1.4 miles in total. Our Martin County list holds plenty of bigger water. Truman is the closest place, 8.6 miles off. The big place round here is Minneapolis, 104 miles distant. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Round Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. County-wide records name common carp, yellow perch, black bullhead, black crappie and walleye. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Round Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 13°F to 72°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The water is typically free of ice between early April and early December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Round Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. For walleye, a jig and minnow near the bottom is the standard; evenings beat middays. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Creek Lake, 3.5 miles away. Nothing here settles the position at Round Lake for certain.