Fishing an aerated lake in winter

[radke22]

I just received permission to fish a private metro lake that produces sunfish that are at or above a pound regularly. The land owner told me that because it is aerated, the fish do not bite in the winter after the aerator has been turned on. Is there any truth to that?

[waskawood]

I fish aerated lakes in western Minnesota and the fish bite. Tell Pebbles that Dave wants the money back she stole from me playing cards

[Bobb-o]

I have fished aerated lakes before and have never had a problem with fish biting.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I never expeirenced that before. You'd think they bite better after the aerator is turned on and the O2 increases.

[riverrat56]

No problem getting fish on an airorated lake, note though that the water will get dirtier, I would fish a slightly bigger or louder bait than normal.

[Hermit]

Lakes can be quite unique, having their little idiosyncracies......I have noticed in some lakes with low oxygen levels during late winter, the gills will suspend pretty high(5-8' under the ice) in tight schools or relate to any remnant cabbage growth. If you did'nt have a camera or flasher you'de be fishing underneath every fish in the lake.

The preconceived notions and comments by people never cease to amaze me. "All the fish in the lake are near the aerator/open water." or "Ya, that lake use to be good but it frooze out a few years ago." I usually only listen to friends or reputable sources that are straight shooters and speak from experience....otherwise, you gotta find out for yourself.

[lizardwizard]

radke..

it isn't hilgenberg's pond is it?

I know there, you cannot catch many fish, because the fish are near the aerator. We have proved this by catching them out of the open water in a boat, when the rest of the pond is froze over.

Send me an e-mail

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[Zaraspooks]

I've ice fished lakes with areators and the bite seems to improve once they are turned on. The thing to be cautious about is the direction of the areator flow. I've ice fished as close as 10 ft to the actual areator but only on a certain side. The side I fished had 18" of ice while the other side had only a couple inches and would be open water during warm spells.

[radke22]

Well, the verdict is in, and this particular lake sucks when the aerator is on. I drilled over 70 holes without marking a single fish. Tried every size and color without any seperation from the bottom. Guess i'll have to wait until open water to get into those 1lb bluegills.