For anyone wanting to try the interaction with your spawning fish with a mask and snorkel, I have a few tips.
Be sure any mask you buy has a glass, not plastic, faceplate. Only the ultra cheap ones will be plastic and they are worthless. No way I know of to keep them from fogging up. If it says "tempered" it is glass.
When you get the mask home, take a tooth brush and tooth paste and scrub the glass. During mfg glass sometimes is left with a residue that will cause fogging. The glass needs to be ultra clean to not fog.
When you get to the water, either take some commercial anti-fog drops you can buy in a dive shop, or do the old fashion way and spit in the mask. Rub the drops or spit around vigorously until the glass squeaks. This means the glass is clean. Give it one dip in the water to rinse the cleaner or spit off. Don't use gobs of mask defog. Its purpose is to clean the lens, not coat it. Mask defog will actually make fogging worse if it is not rinsed off. Perfectly clean glass is glass that will not fog. Ok, enough long winded explanation of such a simple but needed task. A foggy mask sucks and you can't see much.
Get a snorkel so you are not constantly having to lift your head for air. With a snorkel you can comfortably lay your head in the water and observe motionless. Motionless is the key. Fish will get used to you and may even start checking you out. Safety tip: wear a tee shirt. Nipples look like something to eat to a bluegill. A large BG can give you quite an unpleasant surprise when least expecting it. One grandson did not listen when I suggested he swim with a tee shirt. Snorkels are made anything from a simple tube to fancy "dry" snorkels. The reality? It does not make a lot of difference. They all work.
You can get a marginally decent silicone mask from the big box stores with snorkel included for probably 25-40 bucks. They are quite ok for an occasional use. A really good mask and snorkel that will last for many years from a dive shop will set you back $75-125. You get what you pay for, but for just wanting to try something out, the package sets at the big box stores are servicable and not a bad deal for the occasional use.
For those of you who like to swim in your pond and like to observe fish in your pond, by all means in the warm weather take advantage of a mask and snorkel and interact with your fish. You will be glad you did! Males on the nest are the easiest time to observe them. They are much more spooked at other times and are much harder to view up close. The small fish seem to be easy to find about any time and will be pecking on your mask, ears, hair and where ever if you hold still. Holding still and letting the fish come to you is the key. Trying to approach or find a fish by swimming at it is hopeless.
Hope this helps.
