Todd...threadfin shad are a great choice, but don't live in the same niche as crappie. Crappie like to congregate in deeper water most of the year, imbedded in dense cover, if available. I commonly electrofish them in the middle of dense cedar, heavy pondweed, etc. I'm not sure crappie would find their way to open water to shag shad. But, the up side is volumes of fish, available part of the year, especially during cool fall months.
I tend to lean toward shiners because they can survive long enough to spawn for several years.
Gambusia stand a chance because they live around the edges in half an inch of water.
Fatheads don't stand a long term chance at all.
Bluegill grow bigger, faster, and aren't a logical choice for forage fish for crappie.
Throw in the unpredictability of spawning and you have a challenge with crappie, balancing them with their forage base.
If someone comes up with a marketable source of triploid or hybrid crappie, my mind will completely change,and I will jump onto the bandwagon.
