Thousands of fish, most of them gizzard shad and small crappie, washed up on the banks of Dexter City Lake last weekend.  It’s a little earlier than normal to see fish kills due to the summer conditions according to the Missouri department of conservation.  Fisheries management biologist Dave Knuth says we normally see dead fish surfacing in ponds and lakes in our area in August at the height of the hot conditions.  But he tells KZIM KSIM the recent drought has sped up the process.  Knuth says he recommends pond owners maintain a depth of at least 8-feet and have vegetation that covers at least 25-percent of the pond.  He says it’s the large, older fish that succumb to the lack of oxygen first, like the bass, catfish, and blue gill.  A good rain will aerate the pond and cool them off to increase fish survival.