Need some help on freeze out questions

Alright guys I fished on a lake about two years ago and did really well catching Panfish through the ice. I talked to a local guy who owns a cabin on the lake a week ago and he claims the lake froze out and most of the fish died. Now when I fished it I went with a buddy and he took me to where he had been catching them, in shallow water I never looked at a lake map. Here’s the catch, after researching the lake is 350 square acres so by no means small, and its mean depth is 12 feet with a max of 25. Is it possible for a lake of this size and depth to freeze out? To boot it is connected to another lake via an outlet so there is some water movement. Seems impossible to me, I’m thinking the locals just want to spread the rumor to keep guys off the lake. Thanks for your responses.

Email the DNR.

They often monitor DO levels on lakes prone to winterkill and will give you some insight. Even if they don’t monitor that specific lake, there is a good chance they monitor similar lakes nearby and will give you their best judgement as to whether the lake in question suffered from recent winterkill or not.

We had a freeze out event on my parents shallow lake (8′ max) last winter. I would say it is possible. Last year the ice was thick and the snow was deep.

Yea that doesn’t surprise me a couple shallow lakes like that froze out last year in Northern WI. What I can’t get over though is the lake is connected to another larger lake. If the fish were stressed wouldn’t they just navigate to the connected lake? The channel is roughly 5 ft deep between the lakes and the moving water should make for apt dissolved oxygen should they chose to move lakes. Just throwing it out there.

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I talked to a local guy who owns a cabin on the lake a week ago and he claims the lake froze out and most of the fish died.

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….never heard that one before.

-J.

While possible, a lake with your specs is unlikely for winter kill. I would think you have been handed a line of do-do.

Anybody post any pictures on Facebook or anywhere else on the web on summer fishing on that lake?

Unlikely. Freeze out is mainly driven by weeds and sunlight (or lack of). If most of the lake is 12′ and a very small portion is in the 25′ range, freezout could happen but unlikely. Chances of freeze out are higher if the lake is especially weedy. Once these weeds start dying due to lack of sunlight they zap up all the DO and there go the fish. Last winter conditions were favorable due to more snow than usual so if it was to freeze out…last year would have been a likely year. All that said, I think you are right in assuming this guy is trying to pull a fast one on ya!

Barely but I did find a crumb on lake link when I was cruising through it the other day which got me thinking about this subject. The guy had multiple posts from this spring catching nice gills (8+) and crappies (11-13) and I began to think to myself hey, there is no way that size of fish could have grew back that quickly. Which led me to believe either I’ve been had or just a portion of the population died. Perhaps the adult fish were holding in the deeper water and avoided the winter kill and the immature fish died when in the shallow water I don’t know but the more I ponder this the more I think I was lied to. Won’t fool me twice though, that’s for certain!

I try to give most people the benefit of a doubt. Got a relative up in the Hinckley area that is able to fish a smaller private lake of the acreage im not sure, but that froze out last year. And certainly have seen posting reports and/or pics of fish they caught in years past, so what you got stirring here is suspicious, but maybe an honest heads up on the conditions.

feel like you might see that guy fishing out there this year. smells fishy

I say BS, 25 feet deep and connected to a larger lake, no way it would have a winter kill that would take all or most of the fish.

Seems to me it would be worth 1 good day of fishing to prove him wrong or right!

Birnamwood! My Pop’s old stomping grounds. He grew up in Bevent.

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Seems to me it would be worth 1 good day of fishing to prove him wrong or right!

Birnamwood! My Pop’s old stomping grounds. He grew up in Bevent.

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I grew up just north of Birnamwood, between Matoon and Aniwa, looking to etire back there come spring time if the Government offers me early outs!!

I love my small central Wisconsin hometown, some really good people there, not to mention the best fish fry and broasted chicken in the state from Chet and Emils!