The DNR talks about the 2mg/l oxygen level threshold for fish. Does this mean that fish (like walleyes) will not be found in waters/depths with less than 2mg/l? Or, will fish spend some time in the depleted oxygen level zones and come up for occasional “breathers”?
Some fish will go into lower oxygen water but not for an extended time frame. Enough to maybe feed or cool off but then return. Trout and salmon will never be found in areas less than 2 mg/l. Northern pike like to feed and then suspend right on the hypolinmion where they can still breath and get the coolest water available.
For the most part, unless you want to maybe catch a sucker or bullheads I wouldn’t waste my time fishing deeper than oh 15 to 18 feet during the summer on south central MN lakes unless you know the O2 levels.
Some fish will go into lower oxygen water but not for an extended time frame. Enough to maybe feed or cool off but then return. Trout and salmon will never be found in areas less than 2 mg/l. Northern pike like to feed and then suspend right on the hypolinmion where they can still breath and get the coolest water available.
For the most part, unless you want to maybe catch a sucker or bullheads I wouldn’t waste my time fishing deeper than oh 15 to 18 feet during the summer on south central MN lakes unless you know the O2 levels.
That’s what I was thinking as well, I just wasn’t certain if walleyes spend much time in those low oxygen depths. Many of these southern MN region lakes are shallow to begin with, but some are 25 to 50 feet deep. Even so, the DNR surveys show low O2 levels once you get to that 10ft to 15ft depth zone in summer.
I have read that some prefer to target trout in the heat of summer because temps and O2 levels have them in a narrow predictable area.
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