Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Threadfin shad bait balls?

Within a few days of stocking TFS, I noticed several bait balls I'd never seen before. Fish were too tiny to identify. Now I see no bait balls whatsoever.

Does this mean my TFS are all gone? Is there a chance I have any survivors? Viz around 3 feet, pretty good amount of pond weeds, but I have RBT, HSB, and too many LMB.

Frank, having seen your lake and my experience with TFS I would say you have survivors. But I have to say that a fertile pond is better for them. Every year I expected a die off of them but every year they survived and multiplied. And here I am again, hoping for survival this year. Not due to being eaten but losing them by not having anything for them to eat because of clear water. If the stories about TFS are correct, the biggest problem getting them to survive and multiply it's mostly about the water being fertile.

Thanks, Tracy. I hit the place with another 50 lb of pond fertilizer last week, and viz only decreased about six or eight inches. It takes a LOT, I guess my alkalinity & hardness (40 each) and pH (6.5) just aren't conducive to the kind of bloom I'd like. I'll add some more lime in fall/winter in hopes of helping situation,

Viz down to about 15 inches, lowest I've ever seen. If any TFS left they should be ok. Big if

how many did you stock? My first stocking was in late Nov and we used adult TFS (300) but come the next spring we add 10,000 I think. I also added another smaller batch (2500) the following spring. I should have kept a record on how many. After all that I had them everywhere in the pond for the next 3 yrs.

Are threadfin for forage or do you net them out for bait? Just curious they look cool but I don't think they are here in Michigan past fall.