Don't get the impression I have to have gizzard shad just playing devils advocate for them more than anything. This is a completely closed private system the water source is freshwater springs and all the land around for along way is privately held by the landowner. Other than some minnows brought in by avian sources I will be completely stocking the fish ecosystem. A rare and amazing opportunity for a fish manager. As far as the gizzard shad and temperature I have it on good authority they may all winter kill. Our surface temp often falls below 34 degrees F and we get between 16and 28 inches of ice in a given winter. However with decent depth they could survive if some areas stay above 40F. Both smelt and alewives have shown negative effects on WE in systems as "small" as this one so I don't want to use those and threadfin will never survive this far north or I'd love to use them. Other types of shiners and native minnows are a great idea but I don't know how to get them in the quantity I need. Also I misspoke earlier about max depth the max here is over 60ft and although it isn't finished I would bet the average depth is more than 18ft. When full. With that info any more ideas? Everything has been helpful so far keep the help coming. Also I'm starting to lean toward not bringing in the Gizzies just to maintane some natural integrity. Oh last though I will have complete control of harvest sizes and people harvesting if that helps.

Thanks