Got a troubling message today about Oliver Lake

[taxid]

IDNR said trout layer is down to two feet in thickness. (20 to 21 feet) And water temp in that two feet of water that has enough oxygen is 72 F. Below that not enough oxygen for trout. Above that too warm. That two feet layer is survivable but very stressful. Not good for holdover. Looks like another lake is becoming too eutrophic to holdover trout. Amazing this lake was once planted with lake trout that need very cold water with plenty of oxygen and they would holdover. Explains one of the factors of the demise of the smelt and cisco in the lake.

[InSeineNet]

No bueno Taxi... hopefully the cooler night and daytime temps we’ve been having and the high temps forecasted mid to late next week of upper 60s low 70s can bring the temps back down a little bit... let’s hope we are close to the lake turning over for the trouts sake.

Would a heavy cool rain help to increase the oxygen level that far down?

[taxid]

No bueno Taxi... hopefully the cooler night and daytime temps we’ve been having and the high temps forecasted mid to late next week of upper 60s low 70s can bring the temps back down a little bit... let’s hope we are close to the lake turning over for the trouts sake.

Would a heavy cool rain help to increase the oxygen level that far down?

A heavy cool rain can force a turn over in ponds. Not sure about lakes. That said if there is enough low oxygen water a turn over can cause a fish kill in ponds. Not sure about lakes.

[rivereddy]

Is Olin in the same boat?

fish on,

rivereddy

[InSeineNet]

Thanks Taxi. Was wondering the same thing as eddy as well.

[taxid]

from a fishing point of view, could a water or air pump be an attractant, in this situation?  creating a comfortable zone albeit very tiny?

A diffuser which consists of a compressor pumping air to an air stone or membrane can actually makes thing worse by mixing the cooler deeper oxygen marginal water with warmer surface water raising the temps even more. Ideal would be  injecting oxygen which would not mix the water column, and is done on smaller trout club waters at various places where there is a pond with deeper cooler water, but gets oxygen deficit in later I the summer. However it's impractical on a larger lake.

Once the fish are forced to the surface a surface aerator would help as long as the water isn't too warm. Past reports claim the trout in Oliver if and when forced to the surface end up stacking up near a cooler steam that runs in on the east end. One angler claims they were all brown trout though. No rainbows. Not sure how one can tell though as to me they look similar when looking down in the water from a distance. 

[taxid]

that's a great question about olin! 

make it warmer?  wow that's funky.  a micro or nano bubble defuser maybe better?  current probably disperse it too much anyhow?

its sad, but I was kinda over my grieving from the fall of clear lake.  this one wont hurt too bad. lol

I think any rising air has the potential of breaking up stratification which is what I purposely do in my biggest pond to prevent any low anoxic water from building up in the deeper water. No worries about that in a warm water pond as the fish prefer the warmer water.

It's not over yet. It has been cooler and if the surface were to get down into the upper 60's it could start mixing especially with some wind. And it appears at least one of the inlets buys at least some of the trout some time until the turnover.

[taxid]

if they want to keep the trout program, maybe they will be forced to stock more browns for us, because of it?   then maybe we can have a place to catch decent size fish again?  can only hope I suppose.

I think they'd still plant the rainbows as put and take and in some good years they will end up as put and grow. There are a number of fisherman that are in it for consumption. Nothing wrong with that.

BTW my steelhead/rainbows in the floating pen in the pond are running in the 12 to 13 inch range at the 7 month old mark. Should be 15 to 16 inches by late October. Ive never had trout grow this fast. By next fall they should be easily 5 pounds or more  at 22 to 25 inches. I think I will keep about 25 males one more year when they will be in the 10 to 15 pound range. Won't that be something, 10 to 15 pound steelhead, 4 to 6 pound brook trout, and 6 to 7 pound browns and tiger trout all in the same pond? I just hope the hatchery didn't screw up and sell me female triploid steelhead eggs as my market is for mature bucks.

[taxid]

good job

you could charge to fish for a mount.  then you could charge to mount it! or charge by the pound to catch n keep. lol

cant wait to see those 15#er pics.

are you going to ice fish for them? 

I am so bogged down with fish to mount I really don't want to mount them unless the angler really wants me to. I actually make more money just selling them as there is no labor involved so therefore no overhead other than the insulated box and shipping.  A lot of intensive labor involved in fish taxidermy!

And charging to fish requires liability insurance, and permit from the INDNR etc etc. I just figure the anglers are free labor for me, and I will get them more involved this year as in weighing and measuring and thumbnail pictures for each fish. 

The fish that I will cull out (females) will go into the big pond in the front to fish out or catch no later than next spring before the water gets too warm. Will probably catch some to eat now and then or allow others to do so.

[taxid]

BTW warmwater pond was down to 69 F. this morning so hopefully Oliver is cooling off too. If it would get cool enough to mix the trout may make it another year. Something tells me the stream on the east side will be a buffer too.

[tater140]

a local lake here in Whitley county was 72 degrees on the surface as of Wednesday evening.

[taxid]

a local lake here in Whitley county was 72 degrees on the surface as of Wednesday evening.

If surface water temps drops below 70 they should be good although below 68 F. would be better. The brown trout obviously can handle the higher water temps better.

[staubsaugen]

Fished Oliver, Olin, and Martin Monday with my boy. We trolled 4- 20 fow with lures that have produced trout in the past and all we managed were 3 bass. At least 2 other boats were trying for trout (fly fishing, and trolling) and both were empty handed when I spoke with them. Water temp was 52.

[taxid]

Fished Oliver, Olin, and Martin Monday with my boy. We trolled 4- 20 fow with lures that have produced trout in the past and all we managed were 3 bass. At least 2 other boats were trying for trout (fly fishing, and trolling) and both were empty handed when I spoke with them. Water temp was 52.

Fish may be close to the surface and not marking? Both the rainbows and browns are fall spawners (at least the rainbows used to be) so they may be preoccupied. I know the browns in my private trout pond are preoccupied.