Science: Understanding Shad Dynamics

If you’re going to spend any amount of time fishing reservoirs where shad are the primary forage for bass, especially if you live in the Midwest, then you really need to have a good understanding about the relationship between reservoir ecology and gizzard shad. There is probably nothing more dynamic and inherently tied to everything that happens in our reservoirs. I run into so many anglers that don’t have a good understanding about gizzard shad, their biology or their affects on a fishery. So many decisons made by our DNR are tied to this very thing, yet so few people understand the big picture.

 

• Why does the DNR go in and renovate a lake trying to eliminate shad?
• What happens when the renovation fails or when anglers go and illegally introduce shad into a body of water?
• Why does it seem like hybrid striped bass get stocked in most reservoirs of the state?
• Why do we have so many shad in the first place and are they really bad?
• What does any of this gizzard shad stuff have to do with water clarity, zooplankton, blue-green algae or bass and bluegill abundance or population characteristics?

So here’s a BP homework assignment. Forget all the articles you’ve ever read about shad in bassin’ mags. I’ve read them all too, and they’re pretty much worthless. The following paper falls into my “Top-5” category for research papers every angler should read. Understand this and you’ll know what is happening in shad-based reservoirs better than most every other angler out there.

Linking Landscapes and Food Webs: Effects of Omnivorous Fish and Watersheds on Reservoir Ecosystems