MyFishFinder.com Just like iceshanty but warmer
Are you using a flasher? IF not they may be suspended mid depth most of the winter. If you are and the banks of the pond are tapered to the deepest spot your flasher may be missing the fish if you have a wide cone angle. If the banks are sloping the flasher is going to read only the point the sonar hits the first part of the bottom. Fish maybe below where the flasher can see them along the slope.
I fish a pond similar to the size and depth you’ve mentioned. During daylight hours the pond is the Dead Sea can’t even mark a fish no matter where you try. About an hour before dark they show up on the fish finder in droves, can’t explain where they come from.
how clear is the water? Possible to drop a camera down? They might be laying on the bottom.
yep using a flasher. we mark a few but nothing like i know are in there.
I know the secret... but I need to show you in person. LOLIf the water is clear, fish at night... bluegill aren't known for feeding actively at night, but micro organisms don't rise til dark and the bluegill know this. Your not marking them because they're not actively feeding as it's not natural to their environment in some cases, so they're probably tight to the bottom waiting on the bell to ring. That is why fronts lowering pressure are so good, the micro organism are moving earlier through the water column. I think the reason those same ponds work in the day during non ice periods is the wind helps push micro organisms around, which is why the windy side is usually the better side. Just a guess.
Never realized that the wind could be a factor when the lake is frozen over??
You may want to re-read and focus on the "non-ice" part.