we also used to have somebody from Norway I think. He easily maintained an
open hole by waiting until the ice froze over with the hole open, then he
dropped the water level 1-2 inches and that left an air gap AND the hole
nicely stayed open all winter.

The worst part about ponding in Northern climates is the fish dont see food
for 6 months. I think it is really hard on them, one main reason I went
with plastic over the pond and a small heater. Ingrid

"Derek Broughton" wrote in message
...
There are posters who've kept them in much harsher climes - at least one
regular in Ottawa (who only had an 18" deep pond) and another on the
Canadian prairies.

Really, the worst part about ponding in Northern climates is not seeing
any
pond life for half the year