Nate/Cecil- My 1.5 acre pond is very clear with a maximum depth of 6.5 ft and an average of 3.5ft. The fish are aggresive from first ice (around Thanksgiving) until the end of December. The same is true for my neighbors 1/3 acre pond. Both ponds are aerated by Koender windmills. Combined the ponds contain BG,BC,WE,YP,LMB, and SMB.
The funny thing is there is 4 of us small pond owners (1/3 - 1.5 acres)all within 15 miles and we all experience this mid winter shut down. We all stocked BC specifically for after work night ice fishing. For all of us it's become night watching with the Aquaview and not catching the BC :).
I have been ice fishng all over the state of MN since I could walk. In my experience, all lakes towards mid to late winter will have lull periods until 3-4 weeks before ice out and then pick up again especially when it comes to BC. Once the fish in my pond stop biting, they won't begin feeding until Mid may. My neighbors pond the same thing except they will start by the end of April. His pond is smaller and does not have flowing inlets and outlets thus heats up faster. This difference between ponds has been leading me to the super cooling hypothesis.
I could be wrong and it is certainly not the first or last time. Any thoughts?
BC are very hard to pattern, they are just unpredictable.
In regards to your other fish not feeding until May, you might want to try fishing for them in a new way, at a new time of day? Your pond sounds pretty shallow, I would probably continue to keep some open water in your neck of the woods? Dave Willis would know a bit more about how your pond and fish operate during the winter.
