Drain pond for winter?

[Mrs.Syntax]

Hi all, we just moved into a new home that has a 250-ish gallon pond in the backyard. There's a pump in the bottom that brings water through a hose and up to the top of a pile of rocks, making a waterfall back into the pond. There is a cat tail plant and some lily pads, but there are no fish.

I live in Wisconsin and the pond will probably freeze over soon. Should I drain the pond completely for the winter, since there are no fish? The previous owner did tell us to put the pump in a bucket of water for the winter. She didn't say what to do with the plants. Should I pull them out, trim off the dead parts and keep them cold and wet but not let them freeze? (That's my best guess of what to do, please advise if I'm wrong!) But mainly, I'm trying to figure out what the advantages or disadvantages are to leaving the water in the pond to freeze.

 

[addy1]

Pull the pump, put in water to keep the seals from drying out.

Leave the pond alone with the plants, they most likely will come back next spring. Trim any dead off the plants, put them into the deepest part of the pond. Did they tell you the plants survive the winter?
Unless you cover the pond, it will fill up from melting snow, rain etc. even if you drain it.

Or you could pull the plants and try to overwinter them in your house.

imho that is, now this is my first winter with a pond, but I have read a lot of threads about what people do where it freezes.
My plants will stay in the bog, they will most likely freeze, dependent on how cold this winter is.

 

[lifeworthliving]

I'm sorry, no help here. I live in TX where the winters can be really cold (for Tx) or quite warm. Don't know anything about freezing winters.