I have a maple tree right beside pool that drops leaves into the pool. I just let them go in and then stay after getting the leaves out in the fall. Not a big deal. I have a leaf rake and I also have a Polaris 65 that does a great job getting leaves and big debris out. Once the leaves are off the tree, the pool stays pretty clean all winter. I do have to vacuum some dirt out in the spring but that is easy. I leave the pump on until we start having freezing temps at night which for us is probably around November. (That way I can continue to chlorinate throughout the fall when needed. But with the days getting cooler, the chlorine use drops considerably.) I drop the water level some, shock the pool, raise the pH up to about 7.9 (we have acidic rain here) and at that point, I don't have to do anything to the pool until spring.

For me, the cover is just not worth the hassle. Plus, I'd rather look at water through the winter instead of a pool cover. I also don't like the nuisance of having to pump water off the cover during the winter. That is a hassle. Plus, the occasional few leaves that get on the cover disintegrate and the water on top of the cover gets nasty. Invariably, removing the cover in the spring seemed to always dump nasty water into the nice clear water.

I do close the pool late and open early but my water is always clear. I know some people aren't interested in having an uncovered pool in the winter but for me it works. To each his own.