Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Shad population

In an ideal situation, including plenty of adult bass to control populations, how mant gizzard shad should be added per acre of water? I appreciate any information.

Depends on your bass population. Add enough to survive for a couple of months and they will multiply. For some ponds, that doesn't require adding a lot. For some ponds, with lots of predators, you will have to add bunches of shad in order that some will survive long enough to procreate.

In Ohio, threadfin shad won't work. Too cold, too long.
So, gizzard shad my be your best choice. My suggestion is this....be sure at least 25% of your bass are at least 16" long. Gizzard shad grow large, and fast.
If your pond is ready for shad, and bass qualify, stock only 15-25 adult gizzard shad. Be sure to put hay in the edge of the pond during spawning season ( probably May there).
A word of caution...gizzard shad can overpopulate quickly, if you don't have enough predator fish to keep their numbers down. One full grown gizzard shad can throw as many as 100,000 eggs during its spawn. If your fishery isn't prepared for these numbers, shad can end up being a problem rather than a forage.

bob is right threadfins usually die at around 40 degrees (water temp). gizzards can actually out compete bluegill in some cases because they filter thier food in gill rakes. not having to catch any food is a real advantage. shad will especially benefit from a good fertilizing program that promotes a plankton bloom in your water.

[font:Comic Sans MS][/font]I live on a 10 acre lake in Michigan that is very unhealthy. Fish survey revealed 45% bluegill, 45% gizzard shad, 5% bass, with not enough 1, 2 & 3 year old bass. With the hard winter the guys that did the survey were surprised the g.shad did not die off. We are getting 50 6-8" Largemouth Oct. 1 this year, adding spawning boxes, is that enough Largemouth? We had lots of very large LM Bass, not enough little ones. Had the shad, they are eating all the zooplankton out of the lake.
Any other advice?

Hi 2Cat welcome to Pond Boss we're glad you found us. I was going to kid you some about dredging up an old post but instead I commend you for going through the old stuff and reading. I did the same thing before I actually posted for the first time. I lurked and spent days reading old stuff, only understood about half of what I read by the way.

Sounds like you really, really, need to cull Bluegill and Gizzard Shad. You mentioned a fish survey. What type of survey was done?

Hang on and one of the experts will be around to answer your questions.

HI JHAP:
Our fish survey was one where they electofished the lake. They also did phytoplankton, zooplankton survey. We have planktonic algae after second week of June for 5 years. We know the following:
bad treatment company bombed us with copper sulfate, to try and control the algae, instead killed off all the chara. The subdivison was treating for the curly-leaf pondweed one month too late for 5 years, it became the dominant plant. Outflow was left open by the city, the county drainage ditch was backflowing into the lake. We have too many storm drains and have tested for phosphate/nitrates before, initial wash, 10 minutes into and after the rain. We are shallow former gravel pit, developed in the 70's, sediment is good, 2 surveys reveal not much change in 15 years, with average depth in the middle 1.6".1-4" overall.
Kicked the former lake mgr out, now girlfriend and I have to manage 6 lakes to fix our one. We have super duper great treatment co now (1st year), are working to ban phosphorus in fertilizer in the sub, overflow is closed in proper position now,
working with county & city to divert one drain, and clean others more often. The gizzard shad eat the zooplankton, which eat the algae. Not enough suggestions from the fish survey on how to proceed. Average size of the g.shad was 9". They felt not enough 1,2 3 year old bass. We do have 2 cormorants that come in after the shad during the summer months, they seem to get some of the bigger ones. We are also told in a very hard winter here in Michigan they may die off. We are hoping for that. Our beautiful swimming lake of the past has turned into nightmare world of the present. No water clarity, 21", have to fight everyone to get anything done. Love the Pond Boss Forum and have subscribed to the magazine. LOVE THE QUOTE, FUNNY I READ HEDY'S BIOGRAPHY SOME YEARS BACK, NOW I ONLY READ ABOUT FISH, LAKE MGMT,
TREATMENT METHODS, COUNTY STATUTES,CHEMICALS, ALGAE, HABITAT, THE WATER WORLD. At least there are cute interesting guys out there in that water world, keeps me an my girlfriend going, you know? Have to have a little innocent fun, otherwise we would give up.

2catmom

Okay, what's that Lusk story on waiting out an overpopulation of Gizzard Shad? It's right on the tip of my mind...

http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=73321&fpart=1

I stocked HSB and they've been doing their job well. I've seen a couple 16"+ gizzard shad die off in winter and the heron has caught a couple. I still see schools of yoy but not nearly as many as before stocking the HSB. I may see 1 small school as opposed to 3 large schools now. I'm living with them and I think they're in control at this point.