Quote:
Originally Posted by nicemustang
I don't know the lake...but lots of people say the small trout ponds winterkill. Not all true...because they just go dormant and some survive. Heck, there is a little pond I fish regularly that holds a decent about of fish. You can catch them like a hot dam first ice (and fall) but after xmas you won't see a thing. So everyone says winterkill. But, as soon as ice is off before it's stocked, we go and catch 20+ 16-18" rainbows that were stocked the year before. So give it a shot. Might be a little early yet...but worth a try.
|
Different factors play into winterkill. Winterkill is caused by a lack of oxygen to the fish. While perch can survive lower O2 levels...trout are less tolerant. Size plays a role only insofar as the water volume is concerned. Most put and take lakes and pot hole lakes in general are very eutrophic...which means highly productive. You can tell by the plants growing and algae blooms. All this organic matter decays. When it decays under the ice the decaying process uses O2. While plants normally give off O2 during the day and use it at night...in thick ice and snowfall...less plants grow and more die.
The other factor in using up O2 is fish biomass. If there are lots of fish...they use up the available oxygen. Without waves and wind to stir more in...the ice limits O2 transfer and the available O2 gets used up and concentrations decrease. Once it reaches a certain low for any given species they start to die.
Guys that aerate ponds often make the mistake of seeing the aerator is off and immediately go out and turn it back on. This can be really bad if the water has stratified and you just end up turning over low O2 water and suffocate the fish sitting near the top. Aeration should be constant.
Summer kill is similar insofar as a lack of O2 is the cause. Usually so much rot and a higher water temperature is to be blamed. Higher water temperature means less dissolved O2 and rotting weeds can use up the rest.
Trout do no really go dormant like a ground squirrel. They will rest and conserve energy and O2 but once the levels drop...trout just die...no different than you or I would if O2 levels we were breathing dropped below safe limits. I agree however if you point is a lack of trout being caught is not a safe bet the lake winterkilled. You will know come ice out or if someone did a O2 test or if the water smelled rotten when you drilled a hole.
I often find after Feb 1 that the perch slow down. However...I find trout move shallow and still bite unless O2 is low. I expect another month before ice out.
chickakoo dosent winterkill???
Linear Mode
