AP, no I have not used a thermostat to engage my aerator. But it makese sense. However, how do you ensure it runs even on warm nights? You still need to elevate DO levels, correct?
Like you, we in New Hampshire have had some surprisingly cool temps - even during the days. Unfortunately, the humidity/dew points have been very high - essentially leaving saturated air during the night and early morning. I run the aerator during the night, but it has therefore had a somewhat limited cooling effect.
Nevertheless, the bottom temps in my 9 foot deep pond have steadily gone down from 73 deg f on July 23 to 66 today. I've got rainbows in there that should make it through the summer okay.
Is that a tiger trout I see in the pic? Very interesting pattern. What advantages do you find with the tiger trout? I have found rainbows to be clearly fastest growing and hardier than brook. The browns are hardy and temperature tolerant, but slower growing and more skittish/harder to catch than rainbows.
What has been your experience with trout surviving through the summer?
