Fishing Forum

My dad caught this fish at Willard on Sunday never seen one before, so he let in go weight was 3lbs did not put the tape on it....
[signature]

Looks like a gizzard shad. Was it really slimy?
[signature]

[font "Times New Roman"] [/font][font "Calibri"]Gizzard Shad. Did he feel the spines on the belly?[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]
[/font]
[signature]

Adult Gizzard Shad
[signature]

Wow that's a big gizzard shad. Good meal for a 30 pound wiper. Haha.
[signature]

i didnt know they got that big. crazy!
[signature]

Hell of a gizzard shad.
[signature]

Dude, probably awesome catfish bait!
[signature]

How did you "catch" it? Did you accidentally snag it?

Shad can be almost impossible to catch on hook and line.....
[signature]

Very interesting thanks for posting that picture! I had no idea they got bigger than a few inches. Never really thought about it[crazy]
[signature]

That is an adult gizzard shad. I've caught them on small plastics while fishing Lake Powell.
[signature]

That is the problem with Gizzard's, they outgrow the predators. They can get over 18 inches and up to 5lbs or so. They spawn lots of little shadlings, but once they get that big, they don't really provide much to the system.

Threadfins, which most people equate with shad, max out at about 7-8 inches in rare cases, averaging about 4-5. Easy eats for just about anyone in the pond. Problem with Threadfins, they are very temp sensitive and die when temps drop below 50.

Gizzards will hit a variety of lures and baits, but not with regularity. Worse part of them is they are very slimy, very boney, and STINK !!

That is the largest G shad I've ever seen, I bet if you had measured it, you would have had a state record for catch and release. They are illegal to have in your possession at Willard, so good thing it was released.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_gizzard_shad
[signature]

I've caught 3 of them that size and bigger on Lake Mead on hook/line. All on crankbaits too. I think they are slapping at it being territorial verse actually striking it/looking for a meal. If I remember right at least 2 of the 3 big ones I hooked were snagged and the 3rd had part of a treble in his mouth.

STINK... I washed my hands over and over and over trying to get that off me after catching it, unhooking it, taking pics, etc After the first I learned my lesson big time gagging over the smell. Another one has never made it over the side of my boat. I reach out with one set of pliers to grab him by the lips and use another set to get my lure back.

I will have to say this... They fight like no other and I swear can clear 6+ feet of air when hooked/fighting. Impressive!
[signature]

[quote wolfs4evr]I've caught 3 of them that size and bigger on Lake Mead on hook/line. All on crankbaits too. I think they are slapping at it being territorial verse actually striking it/looking for a meal. If I remember right at least 2 of the 3 big ones I hooked were snagged and the 3rd had part of a treble in his mouth.

STINK... I washed my hands over and over and over trying to get that off me after catching it, unhooking it, taking pics, etc After the first I learned my lesson big time gagging over the smell. Another one has never made it over the side of my boat. I reach out with one set of pliers to grab him by the lips and use another set to get my lure back.

I will have to say this... They fight like no other and I swear can clear 6+ feet of air when hooked/fighting. Impressive![/quote]So they are basically like Strawberry Cutts, other than they fight hard?[]
[signature]

[quote brookieguy1][quote wolfs4evr]I've caught 3 of them that size and bigger on Lake Mead on hook/line. All on crankbaits too. I think they are slapping at it being territorial verse actually striking it/looking for a meal. If I remember right at least 2 of the 3 big ones I hooked were snagged and the 3rd had part of a treble in his mouth.

STINK... I washed my hands over and over and over trying to get that off me after catching it, unhooking it, taking pics, etc After the first I learned my lesson big time gagging over the smell. Another one has never made it over the side of my boat. I reach out with one set of pliers to grab him by the lips and use another set to get my lure back.

I will have to say this... They fight like no other and I swear can clear 6+ feet of air when hooked/fighting. Impressive![/quote]So they are basically like Strawberry Cutts, other than they fight hard?[][/quote]



What wimpy or bony?[]
[signature]

People fish for American shad in Northern California. I believe, American shad are on average larger than gizzard shad, but are similar in appearance. Small jigs, typically crappie jigs are used when targeting American shad. Surprised that more gizzard shads aren't caught out of Willard while people are fishing for crappie. They are known for their fighting ability, so maybe they break people off, and people think they hooked a wiper.
[signature]

American Shad on the East and West coasts ( they were transplanted from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific) are a totally different species, same genus. American Shad are anadromous, living in Salt water and Spawning in fresh. There are huge runs up most eastern rivers where people fish for them, mainly for the roe. I don't believe the roe of Gizzard shad are edible.

That's funny[]
[signature]

Correct K trout - I used to catch amer shad in Yuba river, trib of the mighty sacramento. we used 7 weights and streamers. great fighting fish.
[signature]