Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Ice status on your pond(s)

Still have one big ice cube being pushed around by the wind. I am hoping the next 2 or 3 days in the 50's will take care of that. Took a Bill C. tip and dropped a couple 20 foot twiggy saplings in the North side of the pond today (trunks on bank) to get a little extra habitat for the YP spawn (Hopefully!)

Hey Bill, have you seen any perch ribbons? I've looked on some saplings I have laying in the water but nothing yet. I do have some brush underwater they may have spawned on. The frogs sure start early. My front pond has no fish yet buy thousands of tadpoles already. None Bullfrog that I can see.

I think my water is too cold still. Think it needs to come up to at least 45 so should be soon. Hoping by early April. I stocked my YP last fall at 5 to 7 inches so, hopefully, they will spawn.

Must have been quite a bit of water loss through the ground under the pond or via the banks over the winter as the ice level was quite a bit below the banks. Lots of melted water on top of a very thin layer of ice. Lots of holes through the thin ice. I must have had at least 12" maybe more. Still is thick ice in the middle but edges almost through. I'm surprised I don't have any critters coming up through the holes in the ice.

These holes earlier in the season had that jagged star look to them, I wonder if I had warm bubbles of decaying organics coming up through? I'm not aware of any springs in the pond.

I was going to speed up the clearance of ice with my aerator as I'm worried my dog may fall through and not be able to get out. He isn't so bright when it comes to knowing what ice he can walk on and which he can't. But then I figured if I give him open water in the middle and scary ice up to that point that he'll just be tempted to go to the middle. Hopefully he will stay on the edges!

Ice is gone and only found one dead fish, the fresh water drum we dropped in late last summer. Tons of small FHM in the shallows following the sunniest shore of the pond. I think my shallow little pond may have just made it thru the winter!

Congrats Bill. It's always a relief to see life in the pond after the ice leaves. The ditches along our lane have a lot of small frog egg masses that I assume are from the peepers. Think I'll scoop up some tomorrow and put them in the front pond with no fish to give them a chance. The ditches only have about 4 inches of water and will dry up in a few days without rain. Bluegill are feeding good in the bigger pond and also saw a few perch. The SMB always slam the minnows when they come out of hiding in the FA to nibble on the pellets.

I ice skated this morning on a good foot of ice. It was fun and depressing at the same time.

Poppy,

If last year is indicative, I get toadpoles first. Pond will be black with a foot wide band of half inch toadpoles in the shallows. Frog tadpoles showed up later last year.

LS,

What's yer forecast like?

I drilled 5 holes in the ice to measure the exact depth to place some porcupine crib structure I made as per the Pennsylvania fish and game specs. 18" and frozen solid to the shore line.

Ice is usually gone by April 1st but this year I don't know. Today is the first day of spring and we had 5" of fresh snow.

Pa,

Wish I could say I feel sorry fer ya but, isn't Pennsylvania where Punxsutawney Phil hangsout? This whole mess is his fault. My advice, .17 HMR till you find a ground hog that gets it right!

Just joking man. Hang in there!

Currently under a lake effect snow advisory for 3 to 6 inches tonight. Yea. Going a little nuts now. it hit 40 yesterday, heat wave! All it did was ruin the ice surface.

Only good news is light is getting through, hopefully some O2 down there with all the runoff making it into the pond.

No letup of the cold in the 10 day forecast either apart from a quick warm up and heavy rain and the a drop back into the dumper.

Ice is totally gone, as well as most of the snow on the ground.

I'm gonna walk around the pond and check for dead fish. Last year they didn't show up for a couple of day's tho.

A bunch of ducks out there now.

Finally gone today. Seems kind of late...

Winter Weather Advisory in effect - Snow, and for 2 days.

EDIT: They were totally wrong!