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Joined: Jul 2008
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Hall of Fame Lunker
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So this is an update on my 34 acre lake. I installed a vertex system just over 1 year ago. During the past winters the lake DO2 would drop to 3-3.5ppm at this time of year.
We finally got some nice weather and I ventured down to the lake and drilled a hole. The water seemed to have more visibility then in the past and the DO2 was just over 10ppm at 8 feet deep. It's starting to look promising, now to just get the shack out and wet a line.
"I think I have a nibble" Homer Simpson 34ac natural lake
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So is it running in the winter under the ice or is this improvement solely due to keeping an anoxic layer from forming in the summer and subsequently from coming up during the fall turnover?
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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Good news Blair - post photos of our YP and trout for us to enjoy!
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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The system runs almost all year. I only shut it down for a few days while it was freezing. So the geese and ducks wouldn't think it was a fun place to hang out after everything else froze over.
We went into freeze up with a few days of heavy wind so that probably helped also. The water quality was slightly better all summer but could still use improvement.
"I think I have a nibble" Homer Simpson 34ac natural lake
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Lunker
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Blair,
You can leave the system running during freeze up. I will come over and use my own way of convincing the ducks and geese to not stick around.
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Thanks for the update Blair! I still can't believe you installed it through a foot of ice last December! You are crazy!
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Sue, you'd be amazed at how fast the ice melts once the system is turned on.
I did the same thing that he did a few years ago, installing a system thru the ice. But, the ice was only 6", not a foot. I left the hose on top of the ice and it sank when everything thawed in the Spring.
The hole in the ice went from 2' square to almost 20' diameter in a day.
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That sounds very encouraging Blair! How did the fish do last winter, any/many dead floaters come spring? How big are your trout now?
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No floaters last spring but no sign of life either.
"I think I have a nibble" Homer Simpson 34ac natural lake
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Likely because they can enhabit the deeper water now that there is no thermocline. (my guess)
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Water clarity has went way up to around 10 feet. It was really nice to be able to look around with the camera. DO2 was still right around 10ppm. With this heavy snow cover it should be as bad as it gets for DO2. Looks like it's time to spend some money on more fish in the spring. I am going to keep an eye on the dissolved oxygen since the clarity has jumped recently.
"I think I have a nibble" Homer Simpson 34ac natural lake
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Aeration lifting the ice. Its kind of hard to see but there is an area running diagonally across the picture. Ice about 2/3 of an ac has lifted 15inches above the rest of the lake because of trapped air. The ice was 4inches thick when I started the aerator and its been running for a week. That is a heavy load being held up!!! [/img]
"I think I have a nibble" Homer Simpson 34ac natural lake
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When you hear a big bang you'll know when the bubble burst.
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Too cool Blair...be careful venturing around that area - don't want you near a fissure. When will you start fishing?
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Holy cow!! That's amazing!
Holding a redear sunfish is like running with scissors.
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I usually put the shack on when we get 15-16 inches of ice because it is darn heavy and takes a small tractor to move it out there. I have caught 3 rainbow trout from my small pond through the ice about a week ago.
Last edited by blair5002; 11/21/13 01:10 AM.
"I think I have a nibble" Homer Simpson 34ac natural lake
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Wow! That is cool! Keep us updated!
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I think the air will eventually find a way to escape. Thickening ice will heave due to expansion and form cracks. One knows this is happening when loud cracking is occurring during very cold temps. As seen previously on the forum, the air pressure bubble can explode the ice. Is it a good idea to drill a hole at or near one end of the expansion and allow the air to escape or is that very dangerous and life threatening?
Last edited by Bill Cody; 11/21/13 10:24 AM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
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I would say it is unsafe to be around. It was overcast and snowing today so it was hard to tell if it went down or not but I think it did.
"I think I have a nibble" Homer Simpson 34ac natural lake
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This is the aftermath. I really thought it was going to crack and settle gently but by the size of the chunks there was a fair bit of movement involved. We never heard anything. [/img]
"I think I have a nibble" Homer Simpson 34ac natural lake
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Amazing! I'm surprised it took so long to open the ice!! It took over a week?
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2 weeks When it lifts the ice like this it takes a long time to melt because there is no contact with the warm bottom water. The other air stations have been open for a week or so.
"I think I have a nibble" Homer Simpson 34ac natural lake
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Oh yeah and highs of -23c (-7F) and lows of -34c (-30f) don't help the processes
"I think I have a nibble" Homer Simpson 34ac natural lake
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WOW!! That's cold!! I think I'll take the afternoon off and hit the beach.
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That is amazing ! Learn more every day here. Thanks Blair.
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