Same here in East Central Indiana. I've been the boss of my pond for 8 years and this is the first kill ever. Many years my 2 1/2 acre pond has not frozen over all season. This year it was frozen solid for a good three months. Because of frequent partial thaws followed by extreme cold refreezing, the ice was very opaque.
Bass seemed to be most affected. I had cleared out most of the large flathead cats but for 2 or 3 very large ones in the 8 to 10 lb range. Two of them were belly up. Only a couple of bluegills. Although there were some 3 in bluegills it seems the largest fish took the brunt. My question is whether the big floaters were just the tip of the iceberg, and that many more died, but sunk to the bottom. This stinks! Literally.
The sad part is I have a good aeration system but only use it when water temperature is above 50. Should I be running it year round?
