# why the dead shad?



## scappy193 (May 11, 2009)

went to my usual fishin pond yesterday to try some cold water tactics i've read about in the last in-fisherman mag. i didn't catch any fish but i did see a lot of dead ones. i counted 23 dead shad along the shore, all between 5-8 inches long. i didn't even know there were shad in this pond. so that brings two questions to mind. first, do shad die off in the winter? and second, could it be the fact that it is a small pond and not a large lake that is killing them? because i thought shad were found in big bodies of water.


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## smoothkip25 (Nov 17, 2008)

Every year alot of the shad start dying off this time of year and into the winter months. No need to be alarmed this happens every year. I have seen shad live in small ponds but it seems that the do better where there is current. Shad are on the move at all times.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

They die off every fall and winter. Here some pics from E-72nd just east of Cleveland).

























And here is Edgewater (just west of Cleveland).


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## hogjerker (Apr 8, 2008)

Wow! I knew chad died off, but that is incrdible. Is there any clean-up that goes on?


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## gonefishin' (Apr 14, 2004)

Ooo, ooo that smell, can't ya smell that smell?:G:F


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

We are at the northernmost limit of where those shad can survive, temperature-wise.
They don't do well with abrupt temp.changes, stresses them out and they die. 
My first warehouse was a block away from Lake Erie at 72nd.
Man it stunk in the spring!


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## scappy193 (May 11, 2009)

i didnt know shad were so fragile. thanks for the info guys. man those pictures are crazy.


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## xdusty (May 16, 2009)

having shad in a pond is a bad idea. they will feed on gamefish eggs and even fry sometimes. they also compete for food with bluegill, small bass, crappie, etc. so in other words, they'll eat some of the eggs and fry and the ones that do survive will have thier growth stunted, in some cases dramatically. i was saw a study that showed that bluegill growth over 4 years was cut in half because of the shad.

anyways, the reason you are seeing these large die offs is because shad are very sensitive fish. particularly to do levels and temps. the temps have been dropping pretty quickly lately so id say thats the problem. no worry though, shad reproduce like rabbits.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

> Ooo, ooo that smell, can't ya smell that smell?:G:F


I won't forget that smell. It hit me like a brick when I opened the truck door at E-72nd.


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## tnant1 (Nov 21, 2006)

I know some people like to get some of the larger dead ones and keep them in a freezer bag for next year. They make really good catfish bait.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

I used to fill up my freezer every November for the next summer's cat bait.
I can't do that anymore due to the new VHS regulations and I haven't much luck finding the shad in inland waters.





> Is there any clean-up that goes on?


The gulls and a good south wind will take care of them.


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## st.slippy (Oct 3, 2008)

GO to buckeye in the spring, it is like mulch all along the bank, and yes it stinks!!!


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## westtoledofisherman (Dec 9, 2009)

man i wish i was near there so i can take bucketloads of them for my pizzeria! would make some real cheap anchovies!


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## homebrew (Apr 13, 2009)

Shad are extremely fragile, but also extremely prolific. It seems like it wouldn't take much to wipe them all out, but they always appear to recover.


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## scappy193 (May 11, 2009)

tnant1 said:


> I know some people like to get some of the larger dead ones and keep them in a freezer bag for next year. They make really good catfish bait.


funny you say that, i was thinking about doing that. i know there are some big cats in there and i'd love to catch one. i've tried livers, crawlers and bluegill to no avail. plus i could use them other places.


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## smoothkip25 (Nov 17, 2008)

Ive never had much luck catching any big channel cats on winter killed shad. fresh or fresh frozen seems to work the best for me. Also where you find them wind blown flats where the shad are piling up is a great spot to hit early season channels and even flatheads at times. But fresh out fishes frozen 10 to 1! something about the fresh blood which attracts the big boys in!

Pic is of a late season 17.8# 33in. channel i caught of fresh cut shad.


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## mhcarl1965 (Jan 24, 2008)

Chad was a friend of mine.


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## fish on! (Oct 15, 2009)

mhcarl1965 said:


> Chad was a friend of mine.


Cut down in his prime, oh evil circle of life!


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## SpecialNick (Dec 8, 2008)

Having shad in pond isn't always a bad idea. It depends on your management goals... shad will compete with newly hatched fish for food, hurting recruitment. However, they do provide a good source of food.


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## homebrew (Apr 13, 2009)

fish on! said:


> Cut down in his prime, oh evil circle of life!


I heard about them hanging Chad, a real shame.


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Happens every year, some years seem to be much much worse then others.

On a side note if you happen to see one "dying" or "just dead" right along the bank scoop it up and rig it as you would a minnow behind a twister tail. Cast out let it sink and slowly twitch it back in like you would a jerk bait, with little pauses in between. It may feel funny at first, almost like the action isnt right or you have too much weight on the jig, but stick with it...Believe it or not it catches fish. Oh and i've only had luck with ones that still have dark pupils, if they have already turned cloudy they rarely will get hit..Maybe it has something to do with Rigor mortis kicking in and the body not moving naturally on the jig...Who knows. Anywho give it a try next time you see a fresh kill along the bank


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## scappy193 (May 11, 2009)

where can you get shad? do you use a cast net when they are on the surface or can you buy live ones at bait shops? i have allways wanted to try using them but i'm not sure how to get a hold of them. i've seen the ones in the bags that are like beef jerky but didn't think they'd be any good to use. btw, nice channel kip.


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## Rybo (Jul 23, 2009)

Man, those pictures at Erie are crazy. ...all of those Shad laying around like that must attract some bass and makefor an excellent fishing hole. I'd grab one, throw a hook in it, then cast right in the middle of all of it and dead stick it. Let me know how you do.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

Gizzard Shad generally aren't recommended for ponds unless there is a population of bass 8lbs. and larger. They quickly outgrow predators, 16" is a common size and there aren't many pond fish that can utilize them. Large shad can broadcast up to 200,000 eggs and a population of shad can filter huge volumes of water of planktonic algae. In some cases they can actually filter the entire volume of a pond multiple times per day basically removing the bottom of the food chain for desireable species. Gizzard shad can be controlled with Hybrid striped bass in small ponds but they are limited by their small mouths.

I often come across articles recommending the stocking of shad in ponds for bass forage. Typically, the articles are talking about threadfin shad in Southern ponds. Threadfin do not grow nearly as large as our gizzard shad and are an excellent forage fish but they cannot survive Ohio's winters.


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## scappy193 (May 11, 2009)

thanks for the info. i'm not sure what kind of shad they are and have no idea how long they have been in there. i've only been fishing this pond the last two summers and i've landed a handfull of lm between 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 pounds. most are around 2#s. i hope this doesn't mean that the bass are going to be on the decline.


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## smoothkip25 (Nov 17, 2008)

scappy193 said:


> where can you get shad? do you use a cast net when they are on the surface or can you buy live ones at bait shops? i have allways wanted to try using them but i'm not sure how to get a hold of them. i've seen the ones in the bags that are like beef jerky but didn't think they'd be any good to use. btw, nice channel kip.


You can find shad in about any lake, resevoir, or river around here. I use a cast net to get mine. Usually at a spillway like Dillon, or even Knox Lake spillway at times. Ive never seen live ones at bait shops cause the are so hard to keep alive after you catch them. Water temp is key though. If im going fishing and want to use live shad i will get them right before i go and have them in a 40 gallon round tank, you also want to make sure you dont over crowd them. I will put ice in the water to keep it cool and run a twin stone airrator. In the early spring and late fall they are easier to keep alive due to cool water temps. Shad is the number 1 go to bait for Catfish in my opinion, I also know that about any game fish will also hit them!


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## Darby O'Gill (May 16, 2004)

Throw a handful of those bad boys in a blender with two cups of ice and three squirts of vanilla extract and you've got yourself a Shad-Kill Smoothie. Yummy in the Tummy. 

Seriously though...some good stuff in this post. I want to fish cats a little more in 2010 and Aklac and SmoothKip have provided some food for thought.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

smoothkip25 said:


> You can find shad in about any lake, resevoir, or river around here. I use a cast net to get mine. Usually at a spillway like Dillon, or even Knox Lake spillway at times. Ive never seen live ones at bait shops cause the are so hard to keep alive after you catch them. Water temp is key though. If im going fishing and want to use live shad i will get them right before i go and have them in a 40 gallon round tank, you also want to make sure you dont over crowd them. I will put ice in the water to keep it cool and run a twin stone airrator. In the early spring and late fall they are easier to keep alive due to cool water temps. Shad is the number 1 go to bait for Catfish in my opinion, I also know that about any game fish will also hit them!


Be carefull where you cast net some dams prohibit it within 1,000 ft downstream of the dam, but they are great bait for alot of fish and fresh ones are the best. If you do manage to keep them alive you should be carefull where you use them don't use in a body of water that you don't want them in if they get off they can repopulate in no time


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## scappy193 (May 11, 2009)

thanks for the responses guys. you answered my question about them dying in the winter and gave me some helpfull advice on using them, especialy bc i've never done so.


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

Yep very typical winter kill off. I do not use the dead ones or dying ones when I see them. I catch fresh ones with a cast net and the ones that I keep to freeze I flash freeze them and then vaccum seal them. Once you un-freeze them you need to use them on that outing or throw them out. Fresh bait is key.

You can go to your local bait shop or to a walmart and get a cast net. I practiced in my backyard to get the throwing motion down and then I catch most of my shad from the Ohio river. I do get a decent amount at Stonelick lake as well. Pretty much every lake in Ohio has shad in it.

Like everyone has said shad are really very fragile fish. They can be a pain to keep alive. I use a 20 Gallon Sunshine Grayline tank. It is an oval shape so the shad can swim around, a filter in it as well as an aerator that circulates the water around the tank creating a current that goes along with the tank. I also add foam off to the water and pickling salt to help keep the scales on them. The first 2 hours is the most critical. I leave the lid open to let the ammonia release from the water and continue to add salt and foam off. I also change out my filter inserts as the scales and slime get all over them. Another big thing is to not overcrowd them. I will only keep about 25-30 live 6 inchers in my tank, after that it is too many and they will die off.

It is a lot of work...but it can really pay off, ecspecially when a big flattie chomps down on one.

More often than not though I use shad as cut bait, except in the summer when live shad seem to work really well.


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