Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait Shad surprise....

I was testing out a new lure this morning and snagged I guess a shad?



We've owned the property since 2012 and never stocked shad.

I've tried to stock shad, but they were either not available or only available in such large quantity that it didn't make sense.

Yep. That is a shad. Can't tell if it is a gizzard or threadfin. Gizzard shad's "nose" overhangs the mouth and the mouth is more downturned. Threadfin shad has a more upturned mouth.

Thanks Chris. After I threw him back in he was wounded and floundering around....within a minute I heard a big splash and he was gone. That's interesting I have shad and didn't know it. I guess that means they have survived some winters and reproduced or birds brought them in more recently.

Zep, I was surprised every spring that my TFS survived. i would ck water temps and concluded that they could not survive the cold temps of winter but they did survive. It's only this year that the weeds cleared my water so clear that my TFS survival did not seem to work this year. I have not seen any signs of them this spring. As far as your shad, it's been my experience that when I snag one, even when fishing lakes or ponds is they were snagged when the lure was thrown into thick schools of them.

Thanks Tracy for the feedback. You mention schools of shad, a few times I have seen what appeared like small schools of something out in the middle of my pond. It was rare, didn't last very long, and I just wasn't sure what it was. I guess maybe it could have been shad.

TFS are best seen early and late in the day feeding on plankton at the surface. It looks like little ripples on the water.


Gizzard Shad vs Threadfin Shad

Thanks ewest. That's exactly what I see on the surface....not often, but it happens.