I'm taking a break at the moment from blowing snow off of my ponds to keep sunlight penetrating. I'm finally at my last pond and whew I think I may go back to using a diffuser in a small area of the ponds next year instead!

Of course it would be easier if I would just take it off in strips, but I can't help just want
ing to get it all off! Wow! A small tracter would be great for this vs. 2 foot snow blower! Haven't checked the ice thickness yet but it's got to be close to 12 inches.

Anybody else having fun lately taking off the snow?

I'm on my way to do it right now. I'll just do it with a shovel, because it's a super powdery, fluffy snow. It's supposed to get into the forties next week.

I had ice about half way around mine this mornig.It was 16* out there.Thats cold for us in cent tx.its about 46* now.Yall be careful on the ice,mines gone already.
Tom

Cecil,

See my post here:

http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=003807

Cecil,
We have a pretty long driveway, so I purchased a garden tractor with a 42" single stage augur style snow blower 10 years ago. It is all Sears Craftsman equipment. The engine is a 20.5 hp Kohler...v nice twin. I take pretty good care of it; change oil and lube on on recommended intervals. The tractor also maintains/cuts 1.5 acres of lawn. In fact, I also have the 32" 8hp pull-behind roto-tiller (Sears) also. We bought and used all this equipment to prepare our yard from a bean field to a lawn, Donna-ski and I. It has all performed very well.
The snow blower rocks, but ya gotta have the ponies to dig in. When I hit a deep drift, the engine R's drop a little, but you can feel that Kohler earning it's keep...no problem.
You also need tire chains, and likely wheel weights.

I plan on drilling some holes tomarrow to let some light in under the ice! I will be dropping some waxworms and minnows into the holes too which should be fun.

Went fishing monday. Caught 28 lmb and got sunburned, sorry guys there is just no place like the south.

Hey ward, I went fishing last Sunday, caught 12 LMB and 2 BG in just a couple of hours, no sunburn either. :p

Mabey I think I have it better than I actually do because I didn't enjoy the sunburn all that much.

Russ,

I read that. For 9 inches of clear ice that is pretty peculiar. No water coming up on my ponds even where there are cracks.

Any thought on something that would keep the ice off with out alot of circulation? I was thinking about something like a soaker hose or something to allow air or even pumped water through it that is floating on the surface in a circle say 10 to 20 foot diameter, Kinda like a soaker hose that is fashioned in a smaller diameter for a diffuser only floating on the surface causing a surface wake thus keeping the ice open. Or even some of the black water line with holes drilled on the inside of the circle so that theres not too much deep water circulation just whats at the surface then run a submersible water pump. I guess that would be limited to those that have electricity down out the pond, I doubt that a air pump blowing bubbles at the surface would cause enough wake to keep the ice cleared now that I think about it.

I've used a diffuser to keep ice open and you'd be surpised what a few bubbles can do. From my experience it depends on air temps on how big a hole a diffuser will make. I've had them as large as 20 feet in diameter just fron one diffuser of about 1 CFM.

The reason I have been leaning away from the use of a diffuser in winter is I've had fish stress even with a hole near shore. However by keeping the ice clear of some snow I have no signs of stress.