Why isn’t fishing as good in the winter as it is summer on marsh pond

I’m from Wisconsin and have access to fish a cranberry marsh water reservoir that is really good fishing throughout the summer. It’s full of crappie, bass and northern. I’ve tried numerous times Ice fishing this same water in the winter with little to no luck. Any thoughts? It’s deep enough water that it doesn’t freeze out in the winter so I don’t know why there would be a difference.

It may not freeze out but I suspect oxygen levels drop to a level that the fish become near dormant and don’t actively feed.

I fish a lot of old gravel pits in Iowa and it is the same thing. I have one area with 7 ponds on it. In the summer I can catch fish in all of them, but I really have to work in the winter to find fish. My thought is that in most of these no structure pits, ALL the fish move to one area and stack up there. Now if I can just find that one area, I will be set. I remember on one pond that is over full with 13″ bass (every cast in the summer) I had a young guy with me and I drilled over 100 holes (pretty small pond) and we actually would put the finder down and seen nothing. The young guy would lay on the ice and basically stick his head in the hole and look around under the ice. Water if very clear so he could see a long ways. Still did not find any fish in that pond. Of course they are there, just could not locate them.

I’d assume it’s the oxygen levels as well. We have marshs by us that have the same issues.

if the oxy levels are down you wouldn’t be able to mark any fish as they will be right up ay the top of the ice in most cases.

good luck hope Ya’all find’em!!

Thanks for the input. Based off what you guys say the oxygen level thing would make sense. I marked fish when fishing there, just not the amount I was anticipating going into it.

It may or may not have anything to do with the oxygen levels. What is does have 100% to do with is the simple fact that fish are cold blooded and when the water is cold (like it is in the winter under the ice), their activity and feeding level is much lower than it would be in the summer when the water is warmer and their metabolism is sky high. The environment dictates their activity level. Quite simply, they eat a lot more in the summer and eat minimally (or not at all) in the winter.

I agree but I’ve done plenty of ice fishing in other spots and had plenty of action. I was just curious if there was any reason in particular that this was good in the summer but not winter. (Aside from the temperature in relation to their metabolism)

If its oxygen levels its relatively easy to figure out. Throw a few tipups in and see how your minnows react. If they die off within a half an hour you have your answer.

bigpike wrote:

If its oxygen levels its relatively easy to figure out. Throw a few tipups in and see how your minnows react. If they die off within a half an hour you have your answer.

If your minnows would die it wouldn’t have any fish. sounds like fishing is good in summer. low oxygen many times fish right under ice so set right under ice.

gimruis wrote:

It may or may not have anything to do with the oxygen levels. What is does have 100% to do with is the simple fact that fish are cold blooded and when the water is cold (like it is in the winter under the ice), their activity and feeding level is much lower than it would be in the summer when the water is warmer and their metabolism is sky high. The environment dictates their activity level. Quite simply, they eat a lot more in the summer and eat minimally (or not at all) in the winter.

But the water under the ice in this marsh pond can’t be much colder than water in any frozen pond, lake, or backwater. Yet in many, there is plenty of feeding activity or we wouldn’t bother to ice fish anywhere if we weren’t catching anything.

I think the depressed activity relates more to reduced oxygen levels. Example would be in late winter, the water temps aren’t any colder…but oxygen levels are at the low for the year.

Maybe the fish are finding better forage other than in the marsh you describe. Even in the dead of winter fish need to eat and if forage isn’t there for whatever reason, its doubtful fish will be either. Keep in mind too that forage needs oxygen as well and if oxygen is the issue the reason for lack of fish will start with the forage.

Grant has the right idea-it could be oxygen but it could also be temp or both. Deep lakes stratify after turnover and deeper water stays a bit warmer. Shallow lakes that don’t stratify just get darn cold. shallow lakes by the north shore can be 10′ deep and never winter kill and they have winters with lots of snow and thick ice. Oxygen stays good because water is moving in and out threw rivers. Rocky bottom with little decaying vegetation helps too. Bottom line:good oxygen all winter. Some of these lakes have very good populations of walleyes but as the locals will tell you ice fishing sucks in those shallow lakes.