water level already back to normal with so much rain.....

[Poconos]

I forgot to mention that I have a couple 5 gal pails with another inside bucket loaded with marble rock as weight. Before the ice I float them and they sink except for the top few inches. When the ice comes I can take out the inside pail and pretty easily pull out the 5 gal pail. If necessary I pour a little warm water in the 5 gal pail to melt it loose. Bingo...an ice fishin hole and access to liquid water. With one in the deep end and the other in the shallow it also lets me jury rig my old extra pump to circulate if I need to before the ice melts. It's more psychological when the weather starts warming in the late Winter to kind of help the ice melt along.
Al

[matt4x4]

Mine froze solid last year (AG pool) - it may have had a little area in the center lower portion of the pool that was still semi liquid, but pretty much solid all through, it didn't help that we didn't get much snow which tends to help insulate a bit.

I was going to say - do you stock your pool before winter? Why would you need a fishing hole???

[Poconos]

Heh Heh...check my post in this thread.
Al
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=5559