We're not far from you, and it is a regular occurence to see thousands upon thousands of dead gizzard shad on our lake shorelines after ice out every year. Enough survive however to repopulate the lakes each year. It doesn't take long for a gizzard shad to get way too big for fish to eat, just as ewest said, and I wholeheartedly agree with Bill's assessment concerning palatability. If you're going to tie up biomass in a primary consumer, it seems that it might as well be one you can catch and eat--like bluegill.

Holding a redear sunfish is like running with scissors.