One of my favorite topics since I struggle with this every year. Ever since I learned here on PB that even a small pond will survive winter as long as light can get through the ice I have been diligently trying to keep my ice clear. I still run an aerator in one section of my pond that runs for two 4 hours sessions a day. This is enough to just barely keep a small hole (6 inch) open when it gets real cold. Got a hole 30 feet diameter right now. I have notice that my fish however always spend the winter months on the un-aerated part of the pond. Perhaps because it is warmer there? So I try to keep that end of the pond free of snow. Well this winter has been mild and I had 6 inches of real clear ice. Great, but now I just got 8 inches of slushy snow on top of that. That tranlates into very opaque ice. I can't plow it, too slushy and too thin of ice. I'll be letting you all know if the fish survive come spring. I've got my fingers crossed.
