Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Deicing Bremer Pond

Here are a few photos of early stages of ice out. The ice is still over 20 inches thick, but the weather has been warm and it looks like 50 degree days along with some rain for the foreseeable future.

The water on the depth tube at 17 inches is 8 inches higher than last spring prior to ice out. The extra 8 inches is the result of a wet 2010 that caused the ground water table and thus the pond level to increase.

The last photo is the Rock River next to the pond on the east side. The flowing water is currently on top of ice. That will change over the next week as the river clears of ice and huge amounts of runoff flow.

How does the RR water level compare to the water level in Bremer Pond?

That is variable as the pond reacts relatively slowly compared to the rivers spring rise. Currently they are about the same.

When the river rises the pond follows at a slower and reduced pace since all that water has to be pushed up through the ground strata (sand mostly).

After the river crest is reached and the river begins to recede the pond will continued to rise for a few days and then it too will recede.

Once the spring thaw is completed the river and the pond both will eventually reach their "normal levels". When "normal" comes the pond level will be approximately 2 feet above that of the river.

The ice has partially broken up north of the bridge.

In this area the water is still flowing over the top of the ice. Since the river is up about 2 feet since yesterday the ice will soon breakup river wide. Barring an ice jamb the loss of the ice is a good thing since the water can really hustle down the river channel and reduce flooding issues.


The pond is only up 1 inch in the same time period. Today is the first day in a long time that I could actually drive the Mule down close to the Barge area. 4WD and Lock required though not a shovel!

Any movement of the ice in the pond? Is the circulator hole getting larger?

The circulator area is slightly larger but the ice hasn't changed other than the color.

The River is up around 60 inches in the past 24 hours and the pond is up 5 inches in the same period. This thaw is occurring quicker than those of recent years. Our road is closed going east because water is flowing across it in several areas.





Looking south along the east berm of the pond






Looking southwest from the bridge

In elevation what is the max amount the river gets above the pond?

For short periods it can go +10 feet.

I shot the gap doing 9.8
Let those Mulers roll 10-4



Today the River is down around 12 inches and the pond is up 5-6”.

Do you have a guess as to the lowest elevation of the bottom of the river (in the area) vs the bottom of the pond at its lowest ?

The bottom of the pond is 13 feet below the bottom of the river.

The river is up again today and is close to overflowing its east side bank.




The pond gained another 5 inches since yesterday.


These plants survive under the ice. Though there is a lot of dead foliage on them, they are still alive and maybe, perhaps some photosynthesis is occurring?


Won’t be shooting the gap with the Mule any more this season.


North Bay looking south.

Dwight is that peat or rich black soil on the river bank (the dark area)? Or is it something else? Just curious.

That is black soil. The east side of the river is all good farmland. the west side has a shallow layer of black soil and then sand and gravel beneath.

The river is up another 6 inches this afternoon and the pond is up another 8 inches. We are near the river crest unless we get any heavy rain in the thunderstorms forecast for the next couple days.

The Best news is the ice is losing its grip; markers are tipping and floating up high in their holes.

It will be nice to see that open water again. At least for me it was.

I'll bet your ruler is completely submerged this year before the water receeds.

Good call, though that pipe starts floating when it gets past the top mark!

Overall it has been an ugly day, mid-30s with drizzle and 25-40mph ESE winds. The river has crested and is now receding. The pond is up another 7 inches and the heavy winds have opened more of the pond.

The majestic (ok, muddy) Rock River did a crest reversal over night and then established a new crest today caused by rains the last couple days.



The pond is up to 50 inches on the depth tube (trust me). I waded out there and retied the Barge a little less tightly to prevent any issues. Frozen ropes are hard to untie and retie. Electrical power has been terminated to the area temporarily.

The River has dropped a lot since last report and the pond is also dropping slowly. The depth tube was at 42 inches this afternoon.

You're really making headway on the ice now, Dwight.

I put a new Optima Blue Top battery in the Barge today so you know I am getting ready for action! There are 2 Blue Tops in there. You do understand that I hate to run out of power?

Do I get to come out fishing with you on the barge after the race? The wind is only going to be 20-30 out of the NW.

After a warm and windy night.