Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Gizzard Shad Rule!!

Here are my comments regarding the gizzard shad article.
1. the author mentions 3 things are important for growing trophy bass: age, genetics, and nutrition. His quote "...key factors for producing trophy bass are well known: age, genetics and nutrition". He neglects one additional important feature HABITAT. I wonder what other things does he omit to make his case.
2. the author ignores carrying capacity and the pond's productivity necessary to grow a limited number of trophy predators per acre.
3.He states from his MS thesis study "My research showed small bluegill rely very little on zoo plankton. Primary food of bluegill, I found, are aquatic insects which live on, and in, the pond bottom." My first question was large sized zooplankton present in his research ponds for BG to utilize as food? Zooplankton are delicate organisms and do not retain recognizable shape very long in a fish's stomach. Most zooplankton that reach the stomach appear as 'mush' or ooze. What were his methods to recognize zooplankton in gut contents?? Whereas midge larvae have relatively thick durable chitinous head capsules which digest and degrade very slowly. Midge head capsules are used in bottom sediment cores for historical studies of lakes. My question is were the zooplankton mushy remains present and unrecognizable and the only gut contents recognizable were midge head capsules? BG may have been eating lots of zooplankton in his study, he could not recognize them from organic 'mush'. He may have ignored this 'can of worms' in his thesis.
4. Keep in mind that he stresses that fertilization is necessary for producing good shad populations. Proper fertilization to get a good consistent bloom is art and science. Professionals often have difficulty getting a good bloom and maintaining it in some ponds/lakes. Fertilization and bloom are necessary with g.shad to keep the shad from competing with the other fish that rely on plankton or the food it ultimately produces.
5. He does not mention that when plankton is limiting that g.shad resort to rooting in the sediments for food causing turbidity issues in the pond/lake. Turbidity can reduce the growth rate of all sight feeding fish including BG and bass. It is difficult to grow trophy bass in a pond/lake with excessive turbidity because the bass cannot adequately find prey fish. Thus the potential for growing trophy bass becomes diminished and a desire not a reality. This topic comes full circle back to proper HABITAT that I mentioned in the first item.

G.shad probably do have a role in producing trophy bass, but it is not just a matter of adding g.shad to a pond or lake. Numerous things have to come or fit together for the "process" to work. IMO adding g.shad to produce trophy 10 lb+ bass probably doesn't work well more times than it is successful. There are at least a few reservoirs near me that have g.shad and no trophy bass come out of those reservoirs.