Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Ice Fishing for Big Bluegill

I'm not sure which is harder to catch: BG's in a MN winter



or Gators in a LA summer.

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.

Nate - not surprised at all how much fish move under the ice as I have seen them. That was not the point. The point is that BG (and other fish)try to minimize energy use while maximizing energy input subject to static energy demand for involuntary body functions. So when considering the many factors effecting where to fish for warmwater fish like BG under the ice (or in cold water)include the location that best lets them maximize their energy use at the time when their food is most available.

Cecil yes - but YP are not a warmwater fish, are quite active under the ice/cold water and feed on small BG quite easily as the YP metabolism is on go while the BG metabolism is slowed. The YP-BG relationship is similar to LMB eating tilapia in southern waters when the water temp is in the low 60's. There you have a warmwater fish (LMB) easily eating a tropical fish (tilapia) as the tilapia becomes slowed just above its lethal thermal minimum temp.

If we could ever understand all the biological factors which effect fish and know how to rank and integrate them for behavior then fishing would be easy.

Bill I agree ice must cause an effect on pressure as you have water under a pressure/weight exceeding that of the atmosphere within essentially a closed vessel at least until the pressure build up along with other forces cracks the ice. I wonder how much difference there is in pressure between an iced over pond and its twin that has open water due to aeration.

How do we find this out?

Put a valve stem through the ice so you could measure pressure with a tire gauge?

Just taking a WAG, I don't think there would be a serious pressure difference under solid ice as opposed to under ice with open water in it. Or even under completely open water.

The same amount of water is pushing down at a given depth whether any of it is frozen or not. The same atmospheric pressure is added in, pushing down on top of the pond, in both conditions as well.

I also wonder how many ponds shy of the true North freeze over completely and solidly. Even if my pond edges are frozen hard, I seem to always have a little water flowing out at the drains.

Where do I find a valve stem that could easily attach to the ice? Probably any old tire gauge would work just fine. Theo, your a genius!

n8ly wrote: "Theo, your a genius!"

Genius, dork, freak, nerd...it's all good.