I live in northern Illinois, and have a 2 acre pond which is now about 2 yrs old. It has been stocked with lmb, blugill, red ear, coppernose, catfish and black crappie. The pond has completely froze over. The copperose have flourished. The regular blue gill are 7 to 8 in. and the coppernose are upwards to 10 in. The pond is ground water fed, no creek input and averages about 10 ft deep the deepest hole being about 15ft. The lmb are reproducing and the largest caught has been 12 in. I have seen no sign however of the redear.
