Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Will All My Fish Die?

hi,

i own a 9 acre lake in the upstate of south carolina - the lake is over 50 years old - in it's deepest end it is 32 to 34 feet deep - the lake is fed well by a mountain stream and has a lot of plant growth in the more shallow corners - the lake water is always very clear and not muddy - it is heavily stocked with large mouth bass, brim, bluegill, crappie and catfish - in the past month we have received huge amounts of rain by way of daily afternoon thunderstorms - around 2 weeks ago i noticed that the water was becoming very muddy, at one point looking very creepy like chocolate milk - i have never seen the water look like this and it freaked me out - i don't know if this friend of mine totally knows what he's talking about, but he told me that it's possible the lake was turning over and that if it did turn over it would kill every fish in the lake because a lake turning over is caused from the lake not having proper oxygen - thus causing all the fish to die and float up to the top of the water - this completely freaked me out, because i know i have some huge (to me) large mouth bass in my lake that i do not want to have die from the lake turning over - 5 years ago i caught one that weighed over 10 pounds and i know that was not the only 10 pounder in the lake.

does someone have some expert knowledge on lakes turning over and if it actually does kill all the fish in the lake? is a lake turning over a bad thing to have happen? if yes, is there anything i could do to keep it from turning over? please help with any info anybody might have. i fear going out to my lake one evening and seeing tons of dead fish floating on the top of the water.

thanks for any info you can give.

I guess it is possible that the lake is turning over but it ought to stink real bad as the bottom junk comes to the top. Theres not much way to mistake a turn over and mud isn't what usually comes to the top. I doubt that you will have a major fish kill. Lakes have been turning over for a long time and it is unusual. I wouldn't worry about the mud. It will eventually settle and fish can live in muddy water. I used to fish a small community lake that was extremely muddy. You couldn't see fish in the boat live well but is was loaded with big bass and big cats. BTW, this is not expert knowledge but you might check your friends credentials. It might let you sleep better.

I'm certainly not an expert but here are my thoughts. Mixing of water, or turnover, is a function of water temperature. Cool, dense water will occupy the lower levels of a body of water while warmer water occupies the upper layers. This "layering" results in a stratified body of water during the hotter months of the year.

If there is a change in surface water temperature, where the surface is cooled to a temperature lower than that of the water at the bottom of a lake or pond then you can experience a turnover or mixing. From what I've read, rains can bring about this event.

Like Dave mentioned, turnover (at least in my pond) has never resulted in muddy water. From your post, you state that the lake receives runoff from a mountain stream. What is going on upstream?? Perhaps with the amount of precipitation you say you received lately, your mountain stream has picked up a load of sediment thus causing the muddy appearance of your lake.

I wouldn't worry about your fish dying, unless there is a hot frying pan nearby and word gets out about those 10 pounders.

Russ

Didn't realize this post was also under the "Questions" Section... I just noticed my mistake.

I side with Sunil on this one.

Russ