Willard winter kill?

[cableguy]

Is there a possibility of a major winter kill at willard if we don't get anymore water and have a very cold winter? I have read about winter kill on some smaller lakes does anyone think that could happen at willard with the shallow water and a heavy freeze? Just a thought.

CABLEGUY
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[Kent]

If not a winter kill of the wipers, walleye and etc. it definitely could be a winter kill of the gizzard shad.
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[cableguy]

Good point that could also be very bad
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[hedgesd]

Winter kill usually doesn't happen in lakes that are in the valley. Most of the lakes that you hear about winter killing are the ones above 10,000 ft or keep ice a month or so longer then most.

I'm sure you understand why a lake winter kills?
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[wiperhunter2]

It would be very unlikely but as Kent pointed out, the greater danger is losing a lot of shad. The winter before last was very bad for the shad because the ice covered the lake for three months, maybe longer and gizzard shad have a high death rate when ice covers a lake longer than one month. I think the shad are still recovering from that winter, we use to see so many shad that the screen on your fish finder would go black or you would see these huge ball of shad from the top to the bottom of the finders but that has been a thing of the past. If we get another winter where the lake freezes for more than a month, with these low water conditions, they might have to replant the shad and that would be very bad for every fish in Willard, lets just hope that doesn't happen. WH2
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[PBH]

Winter kill occurs due to a lack of oxygen. Fish breath dissolved oxygen. So, the limiting factor is not how long the ice stays on the lake, but how much dissolved oxygen is being distributed throughout the lake. As long as there is water running into the lake, or springs feeding the lake with fresh water, there shouldn't be a winter kill, even if the lake is ice covered for 5 months. Most lakes winterkill because the springs that feed them don't produce the amount of water in the winter months that it takes to keep a supply of oxygen in the lake. As long as Willard has a decent supply of fresh water entering it during the winter, it should be just fine.
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[Lundman]

You hit the nail of the head - it's the oxygen levels that causes winter kill.

What is the cause of low oxygen - Snow On Top of the Ice Filters out the sun light that the reservior or lake needs to genterate oxygen from plants and algea. The shallow lakes have less stored oxygen so they tend to be killed if large amounts of snow stay on the ice for long periods.

This is what my Dad has told me about the lakes in South Dakota - where wintertime and iced over lakes are in abundence.
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[PBH]

Lundman, I'm not trying to get into an arguement. I'm sure that plants and algae contribute to the oxygen levels in lakes. But the most significant source for oxygen is from fresh water entering lakes. The lakes on the Boulder Mtn, and Uintahs are covered with snow and ice for 5 months, sometimes more. Of those lakes, the ones that winterkill are those that do not have a good supply of water entering the lakes in those winter months. Yes, many of those lakes are shallow, and have much less stored oxygen than a deeper lake. But, there are many lakes that are extremely shallow, but have good springs feeding the lake year round that do not winterkill. Either way, Willard should not have these problems. It is at a low enough elevation that it will not stay covered with ice for very long, and it also has plenty of water flowing into it.


A good example is shown by the managment plan on Boulder Mountain. Most lakes on the Boulder are closed to fishing during the winter months. Why? Because Brook trout are extremely vulnerable to fishermen during the winter months. Why? Because of low oxygen levels. Brook trout will find springs, which carry oxygen into the lakes, and pack themselves into these areas. McGath has a nice underwater spring, which the Brook trout congregate by the thousands on. Talk about easy fishing for monster Brook trout! What you don't find, is fish in the weeds. The weeds, like you already mentioned, don't produce enough oxygen to do the fish any good.
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[PBH]

Lundman, I should apologize, because you are absolutely correct! However, inflowing water can negate the impacts of sunlight not reaching the plant life in winter. Here is a part of a document from the University of Wisconsin:



"Oxygen gas is a common substance dissolved in lake water. It is absorbed from the atmosphere and is produced by aquatic plants. However, in winter the oxygen in the atmosphere is sealed off from the lake by ice, and a snow blanket on the ice may prevent sunlight from reashing the plants. Without light, the plants die. Then, instead of the plants producing oxygen, their decomposition consumes oxygen. The combination of these two factors often causes winterkill in shallow lakes which are not replenished by inflowing water."



Walt Donaldson NER (Nort Eastern Region) Utah DWR Supervisor, July 2002: “Most of the High Uinta lakes associated with inflowing water are stable and should over-winter trout populations. However, high cirque lakes with limited inflow are expected to have either partial or total winterkill of trout”

With the drought we are in, we can expect more winterkill this coming winter.....
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[polokid]

Both PBH and Lundman are correct on factors for winter kill. Lack of in flow does contribute a great deal in oxegen deplishion, plus lack of light, another is complete freeze of water obviously, one of the biggest issues is forage for fish, that stuff suffers the most and starvation can play a major factor!!!!
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[Kayote]

PBH,

Another factor that plays a role in winter kill is the release of hydrogen sulfide from lake sediments. When the oxygen bottoms out, H2S is released and the water becomes toxic as well as anoxic. It's that rotten egg smell you sometimes get at iceout. Pelican Lake is a low elevation water that is subject to winter kill because all that vegetation decays under the ice consuming the oxygen which leads to the release of hydrogen sulfide.

Good Fishing, Kayote
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[hedgesd]

Forgot one thing cold water species like trout need atleast 4 PPM to survive. Warm water species 2 PPM.
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