I coming out of the same situation that you have. The biggest improvement that I made was after keeping records and getting an idea of where my bass were as far as size and weight was to remove, remove, and remove bass. As my records indicated growth I then started stocking.

Stocking shad in your area may not be a good idea since they will die off from the cold and leave a void in your food chain and pocket book if you plan on restocking every year.

Hope this helps.

Gregg
Texas