Dumb question about water draining off the ice

[50inchpig]

Fishing was slow yesterday so I amused myself by drilling holes and carving channels for all the water on the ice to drain in to. There was so much water pouring down a few of them that I was wondering if the fish would possibly respond to the current or the fresh water which I assumed would be better oxygenated that the lake water. I would think if it would have an effect on the fish, it may take a little while.

Any thoughts?

[Shack]

There are no dumb questions when asked on FM.

Good idea, but I do not know.

[Tom7227]

We were out yesterday and my son was wondering why the water wasn't going down the holes. My truck was parked nearby. Now you have me wondering if the weight of the truck had deflected the ice downward stopping the draining you saw.

I vaguely remember something about there being an incredible number of different types of ice and how things change as the season progresses. Maybe one of the scribes can fill us in about these issues.

Yes, a challenge to educate us.

[papabear]

I think I read in Outdoor News an article saying that exact same thing. The fish respond to the added 02 and become more active. It is just a part of the picture, but it is important IMO.

[50inchpig]

Yeah I would think if you had good drainage for a day or so it would make a difference. As far as getting the drainage going, the surface is really uneven, due to snow and slush, so make a few canals leading into the hole to get it going. Try to scrape off that top 1-2" of soft ice and slush. Not as fun as catching fish, but still pretty fun.

[palisade1kid]

I find that once all of the snow is gone is when they get really active.

It's not just oxygen.There could be other factors putting them into a finicky mood like high pressure.

[Eskimoman]

NO snow= more sunlight= better fishing?

[hhguide]

Yes it can help out the fishing but I dont know how much. If you think about it any bugs or magets or dabree that flows down into the hole and then it can activate the fish depending on how deep you are because fish will be looking for the bugs and such. i just dont know how much more help it is.

[Coach1310]

We have been at a point where oxygen levels are at the lowest they have been all winter. Fish respond by becoming less active in order to not need as much oxygen. The influx of water, run off, along with the increased sunlight penetration due to decreasing snow cover leads to more oxygenated water and more active fish. It also, in my opinion, marks the start of a seasonal change where fish begin preparing for the spring spawning season.

While I am not sure if the water you had running into your holes yesterday will immediately create better fishing, eventually it will lead to an increase in oxygen in the water.

Like has already been said, don't forget about weather, high pressure, barometer etc. Even though we are entering the late ice period, it doesn't mean, like some think, the fish will be going gangbusters every day, all day. They are still succeptible to weather, pressure etc. Good luck

One more thing..... like Shack said.... no such thing as a dumb question on FM!

[Gissert]

I don't know about the oxygen levels, but I can sure identify with the fun factor of watching the water drain.

A half dozen years or so ago, there was a big warm up in February. I went to fish Ottertail Lake on a Friday afternoon. There was 3-5 inches of water standing on the ice as far as I could see. I drilled my first hole, and set my auger on the tailgate and reached for my ice scoop.

By the time looked at the hole again, all the ice chips were gone, and there was vortex swiriling around like a flushing toilet. It was pretty amazing.

A few days later, all the water was gone, and there were rather large washed out holed all over the place from where the surface water ran into them.

[polarsusd81]

In short, yes the water running down the hole does add oxygen to the water under the ice and can increase the activity of the fish.

Now the longer version. It works best in areas that the oxygen levels were already on the way up because fish will have started to move to those spots. Generally these spots will be on the north end of the lake with weeds starting to grow again, thus causing a bit of the increase before the drain holes. When they get that boost of oxygen near the drain holes, they start to put the feed bags on. Fishing the drain holes can be fun, but it is also quite dangerous. The ice around the drains gets iffy really quick, and makes it a lot easier to go through.

Find the natural drain holes or ones that have been drilled and draining a while, and you can find some pretty good fishing.

[SDWalleye]

Polarsusd81...when you say north end, are you referring to a specific lake or all lakes in general?

[2 DA GILLS]

The north end applies to almost any lake. If you have a large shallow bay with a dark bottom on the north end, you have the recipe for a potentially good late ice location. The reason for the north end is based on the angle of the sun at this time of the year. The north end will receive the most sunlight throughout the course of a day. More light = more weed growth. More weed growth equals more oxygen. There are other factors that can be attributed to the north end producing better.

[50inchpig]

all lakes - the north end gets the most sun and warms up quicker. all things being equal, fish will be more active on the north end first than anywhere else.

[Tom7227]

I have an aquarium and the crappies started dying off. The guy at the pet store said I should bring in a sample of water. He said there was an excess of nitrates and nitrites in the water and they were at lethal levels. He asked if I had dying vegetation in it. Yes, that was the culprit.

Is this a factor in lakes as well? Everyone talks about oxygen levels, but maybe it has something to do with the stuff given off by the decaying vegetation.

Thoughts?

[rockman]

'Fishing in the toilet', or 'fishing the toilet'. Those were the days.Used to catch some big 'gills by doing just that.Holes that are draining surface water are ones to check out,but be careful of the ice right around the hole.Can be very slippery, and some holes can become too large from the moving water, to fish safely.Even with the safety consideration, it is a decent 'pattern' to pick up a few more fish this time of year.

[eurolarva]

Nitrification in an aquarium happens a lot quicker then a lake. The cycle is the fish go to the bathroom and ammonia increases. A bacteria called nitrate eats ammonia and the ammonia level goes down and nitrate goes way up. Then nitrite attacks and eats the nitrates and the nitrate level decreases. At the end of the month you do a 20 percent water change and the nitrite levels stay at a safe level. Your areator in your tank keeps oxygen in the water. Dying plants will pollute water which could be killing your fish.

[evman07]

kind of off the subject, but isn't it illegal to have game fish in personal aquariums?

[Schloogs]

 Originally Posted By: evman07

kind of off the subject, but isn't it illegal to have game fish in personal aquariums?

Got this from the 08 regulations

"Transport of fish for display in a home aquarium is legal under the following conditions:

-Game fish purchased from an authorized licensee transported witht he necessary documents (such as sales receipt)

-Anlers 16 and under may transport legally caught largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, rock bass, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, green sunfish, orange spotted sunfish, and black, yellow, and brown bullhead. No more than four of each species may be transported at any one time, and any individual fish can be no longer than 10 inches. At no time may water from infested waters be transported."

[fishermatt]

The increased sunlight plus more oxygen plus longer days probably kickstarts the whole food chain, from plankton to bug larva all the way to the fish.

[tisosy11]

Yes, the holes will be more oxygenated as spring comes closer