Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Shad!

Here's a different spin than what I have read in this thread.
Part of the fun with fish management is speculating what might happen, then responding accordingly, such as stocking the hybrid striped bass because of the gizzard shad school.
Always keep in mind that fish populations are dynamic...always changing. Just because we see a school of small bass in May doesn't mean we see them in July. And, just because we see a school of gizzard shad in July doesn't mean we will see them in September. And, that two pound bass we see in March, most likely won't be two pounds in October.
Ponds become a living habitat where a pecking order develops based on the food chain, structure, cover, size class and age class of different fish. Add your management style, such as feeding, fertilizing or a sweet little blonde-headed girl handing off japanese beetles, and you get what you get. Since your pond has been thoughtfully stocked and is being well managed, I can't see gizzard shad becoming the dominant species. In Swingle's study, gizzard shad dominated because of that particular situation, in the beginning. Had he used the same stocking rate of bluegill and shad in the beginning, but had added 50 12" bass later, the results would have been completely different.
Besides, you are managing a half acre pond. If and when the shad become the dominant species (which I doubt they will do), they are not hard to eliminate. It is true that, once they reach a certain density, they stop reproducing. They also influence reproduction of other fish. When that density is reached, shad begin to deteriorate, and collect in dense schools, especially during cool months. They are easily harvested at that point.
Based on my experiences, I think what you are doing will render the shad just another fish in a well managed community of fishes.