ST.CROIX RIVER
A co-worker told me (not my words thats why I am asking) the DNR is investigating a local power company or the reason for many dead fish (walleye and saugers he said) and shad turning up this winter in the open pools. Anyone else here anything about this ? 
I never heard anything about this
Last night Channel 5 news said the DNR told them that it was mainly Gizzard Shad and that it was a seasonal; thing, no big deal. Apparently oxygen levels checked out OK. The pictures didn’t look very nice, dead fish coming up the holes but again the DNR claims it’s OK. You might be able to find the report on their website.
Rootski
Hmmm…the video closed with “the DNR doesn’t know what it is and it’s still under investigation”. The article says it’s normal and oxygen levels are ok.
I guess both could be correct.
The DNR’s words were being interpreted and repeated by the same people that have warned us about all the “thin ice” after ONE 30 degree day, who talk about “bullets” coming out of shotguns, “catching” deer, and every time it rains they call it a “storm”.
What the DNR actually said was probably a lot more coherent than what was reported 
Hope nothing is truly wrong down there boys!! I do know that I had dead Gizzard shad in my holes late in the year ice fishing down there when I was a kid. Pretty normal thing, so I doubt that part is any reason to be alarmed. Now I don’t know about the claims of dead Saugers and Walleyes. That should raise eyebrows if that is being witnessed in any numbers. Oh… And what is wrong with “Catching Deer??” Heck my Dad has been under the “Catch and Release” program for deer for as long as I can remember!! 
We are all safe it’s just gizzard shad doin what they do, kicking the bucket. As far as the reports of walleye and crappie dying there is no validation to this yet however I have noticed that when the smaller fish get reeled up out of the deep sometimes you blow there lungs out or something like that, so if guys are not taking it slow and easy and reeling up fish as fast as possible these fish tend to die. When this happens with me I do my best to revive the fish and make sure they swim away not shove them down the hole and watch them float away.
I tend to reel them up too fast sometimes (I only catch 2-3 fish a year so please excuse my excitement) so I just keep them and clean them for dinner.
Fished friday evening and caught 4 small eyes,6-10″ range and 3 nice crappies.
I don’t think anything bad has happened to the water or to the fish.
Just as JJ said, the gizzard shad are dying off.I see all kinds of dead shad in the ice and up around the open water near the power plant.As for dead fish, there are always gonna be some that don’t survive winters elements and some that don’t survive catch/ release.
Hopefully we don’t hear anything other than that 
DNR said the oxgen level is ok on st croix river. the fish kill is just shade and this happens on the river most years
although it maybe has not happened for a few years because of the warm winters. Also they say the plant was not running fo a month and when it stared there was a lot fish in the discharge and when the temp changed real quick could have killed some of them also. 
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