What the heck???

[Mistermojo]

Today a buddy and I were out fishing on Island lake near Wyoming. It's a small lake, about 65 acres, with a max depth of 22' according to the DNR lake finder.

Anyhoo, I poked my head into my buddy's fish house while he was out drilling another hole, and there was a crappie swimming in his hole. It wasn't very big, maybe 6" and he said that was the 5th fish he had had come up. Shortly after, I had one come up a hole I was fishing in, and it wouldn't go back down. Another guy fishing near us checked a hole that had been previously vacated and it had 6 crappies in it.

Is this a winter kill going on, or is it just some strange phenomenon? I'm guessing the ones that came up the hole will die since I couldn't get it to go back down and they definitely were sluggish - you could just grab them by hand. Also, in the hole I was fishing, big air bubbles were coming up. We never actually caught one on rod and reel.

[pikerliker]

I would guess low oxygen levels from what your describing. It doesn't necessarliy mean the lake is "dying" but if we have a late spring/ice out, etc I would guess you might see some fish kill. It's pretty rare that a lake completely freezes out though even when it does happen.

[Tom7227]

Those bubbles could have been methane. IF you go back out see if you can light one up.

[Matt Johnson]

That lake usually doesn't winter kill because it's fed by other nearby lakes, but that does sound like an oxygen issue. If the lake(s) in the area drop a little it could drastically affect the amount of water moving through Island (through feeder creeks) thus resulting in low oxygen and winter kill too. That could be going on, because the neighboring lakes are down a little...

Either way, did you land the crappie by hand just to say you caught one with your bare hands?

[otterman91105]

The channel on martin that flows towards island lake should have a aerator put in anytime if it's not already there. They put it in about the time that the fish house's have to be off the lake hope that will help move some fresh water around.