This last winter was the first time I didn't winterize the pond. We hadn't seen the two fish all fall so there wasn't any reason to keep a hole in the ice for air to escape, so it froze solid and pretty much stayed that way all winter.

The funny thing is that not only were the fish there after all, but they survived. As did a whole bunch of frogs. The pond was full of algae and leaves and dead lilies and yet everyone seemed to flourish. Chalk it up to things you read not always being right.