Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations How many inches do you have?

Metrics has nothing to do with consistency or accuracy. It's just another set of units that all equate back to the same. The real stuff.

Supposed to be simpler because it's based on 10, and so the effect on dumbing down. Most people can remember the number 10

We have a base-10 numbering system. That is why the metric system makes sense.

I'm not surprised at all. But I won't go there due to the fact we'd be going somewhere we shouldn't.

Absolutely.

And a foot came about because that was the length of a king's foot. (Albeit probably exaggerated).

What if a new King took the throne while you were in the middle of a project.

Let's say with the previous king, you needed 800 feet of wire to hook up your pump. The new king has short feet and now you need 1200 feet of wire, even tho it's the same distance, and they charge for wire by the foot!

There is a reason for standards!

I don't mind metrics at all.

Cecil. have ya had warm enough weather and enough rain to clear the snow from your ponds?

Bob,

Yes snow is melted off the ponds and in places on the ground.

Speaking of inches I read something funny the other day. When we were allies with the Russians during WWII we sent them supplies of all kinds. As a boast the Russians said they needed 13 inch condoms. We sent them boxes of regular sized condoms labeled "medium."

I have what looks like open holes in the center of the pond, 12" or so in diameter. Water running back into the pond thru the ice?

Cecil, do you have anything like that on your pond?

Scott,

Not at this time but I have seen smaller holes before it got really cold.

I'm going to drill a hole off of the pier tomorrow afternoon, and if the ice is safe enough I'll walk out and see what is hungry.

Be careful! Remember what happened one year when I stuck my boot in a tiny hole off the pier to see what the deal was?

Oh, yeah. I remember! That's why I'm standing on the pier when I drill the hole.

Well I had ONE foot on the pier!

Out last evening and caught 15 nice gills. Still had 10" of good ice even after the rain and warmer temps.

Maybe this is hijacking will bring us back closer to the original topic.

I've had a craving for some smoked trout and cream cheese spread. THEE VORTEX cleared out a couple of days ago. I was afraid to go out on the ice this afternoon since the temps are in the 50s F, and the ice is covered with water.
I drove the tractor to the edge of the pond that has trout. I dropped the front end loader on the ice till it lifted the front of the tractor. I finally broke: some ice by sliding the front end loader teeth down the edge of the dam, underneath the ice. The ice finally gave way. It is still over 8 inches thick.

No trout yet.

Absolutely no snow, but a nice solid layer of ice on the pond, some of it pure glass-clear. So cool to see smack to the bottom and see the whirlygigs frozen into it several inches down.

Some areas getting blasted by the sun are only an inch or two, but other areas upwards of 10 inches or more.

Speaking of which, any recommendations on a drill bit that works better than my wood auger? The thing jams up with ice and stops drilling.

We have been fighting snow all winter... Will be out tomorrow afternoon to check it again.. Expecting below freezing for the next 2 weeks.. Hopefully enough to fire up the ice skates..

I have been using a wood boring spade bit that is 16" long to check mine... Works much better than the wood boring auger bit..

I've never had a problem with my StrikeMaster® Lazer™ Hand Ice Augers clogging up.

When I checked Sunday, the pond had 7.5" of ice roughly 100' from the open water from the diffuser. They are calling for a clipper snow system to come thru here this evening, and temps to drop below zero again next week, with highs in single digits or low teens. I expect more ice to be made. My duck decoy that marks the diffuser in deep water barely has the top of it's head sticking out of the water. Snow has melted and froze, melted and froze. The fish cages are almost the same way, the top of them are almost under the ice.

Still have around 10" of ice.. Spent most of the afternoon scooping off the snow so the boys could try out their new ice skates.. We probably had another 6" of fresh snow.. Thinking about going and borrowing a snow blower tomorrow to clear them a good rink.. Need to do a little surfacing prep to get it a little smoother for better skating..

I used the 4 wheeler and plow to clean our ice after a suprise 3 inches last night. It was a giant pia! Took a long time and I froze my butt off. Then the ice broke near the edge and water welled up and poured all over. Arg! Probably ruined the skating due to snow clods still around. I'll see in the morning.
Was planning on having friends over for hockey.

The ice here on the pond's is like the bottom is good and clear, but ya have layers of snow, then freezing rain, then more snow and the sun melting it back, then more snow.

I will be surprised if any fish survived in the pond out back.

Saturday morning Jan 18 I had 5" of ice above one of my diffuses and 8"-9" of ice in most other areas. I have about 3" of cloudy ice comprising the top ice layer. DO down to 3ft was around 8-9ppm where as deeper and at bottom it was around 2-3ppm. I am going to start the diffuser and remove snow to see if I can increase the DO in most of the water column. I removed about 1000sqft of snow around the diffuser. Will test DO again in a couple days.

Wow Bill only 2 to 3 ppm in deep water? That's scary! Have you ever had it that low?

Yes I've seen DO under ice as low as 1-1.5ppm and still have YP survive. Evidently fish, esp YP, FHM, GSF, mudminnows, and pike, can survive in low DO cold water a lot better than low DO in warm water. I probably has to do with metabolism.