Big Round-Hayward

[WallyGator12000]

Was out on Big Round Sat 9/08, musky fishing. Moved 3 fish in the morning, two were in the mid 30's and one was mid 40's...after talking to the guys at Pastikas they said this lake wasn't much of a musky lake anymore. Has anyone else musky fished it? What are your opinions? I couldn't believe how deep it was with almost no weeds anywhere, just sand and gravel. I would love to hear some other opinions on it.

[Cooter]

Sorry, this isn't gonna help much, but...I haven't heard of anyone fishing it lately so I'm assuming there are better options in the Hayward area at present. I've fished it before, but not for muskies and would classify it as a tough body of water to fish due to the depth and clarity as you mentioned.

[Bartz]

I worked at Pastika's for 4 years while in high school and Big Round is a tough lake to fish. In the Summer it is mostly a pleasure boating lake. By that I mean that you would only see the fishing boats early in the morning and late evening after all of the water skiers and pleasure boaters got off of the lake. As stated in other postings it is a very clear lake which makes it hard to sneak up on the fish.

As a side note they used to have a water ski show on the lake (late 90's) by Famous Daves and during a segment of the show they would have a guy in a boat casting for muskies while another would narrate about the how Hayward is the Musky Capital of the World. With all of the commotion that a water ski show brings you wouldn't expect him to catch a fish. Well one show he hooked into a mid 40's fish. Needless to say the tourists thought it was just part of the show.

If you're going to catch a good fish on the lake the fall is the time to try. There are some huge fish in the lake. It's also a very cold lake so the fish tend to grow a bit slower in Round than they do in the Chip, Lac Courte Orielles or Grindstone. There is alot of food for them and, I believe, a lot less fishing pressure the majority of the year than you have on a lot of the musky lakes in that area.

Don't know if this is any help but take it for what it's worth. Good luck and say hi to the Sue and Al Rosenquist next time your are in Pastika's. They have put together a great musky lure catalog and a stellar HSOforum.

[WallyGator12000]

Thanks for the info and background guys...I recognize that there are some better lakes in the area, but with the in-law's cabin being on Round, I guess I will have to figure it out

[Cooter]

Tough lake but trophy potential...good luck and let us know how it goes.