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| What is their desired temp range?
Why are they only common in Ky,IL,IN
Cant they live in Southern Wisconsin or Iowa?
Because I was thinking.. Since the DNR wont let us raise the size limit on Pewaukee because they fear the large preditors will eat the fishery out.. Why not introduce more bait fish. Like Gizzard Shad. Pewaukee does ice over on most of the time from Dec to mid March. This year might the exception, since is only 40 degrees and my grass is still green. |
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| I know the Mississppi River in Wisconsin with loaded with gizzard shad. In the winter there are shad kills and they line the banks in the spring. Even after winter kill there are usually plenty left. If you get in the right area you can't cast w/o snagging one. |
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| Gizzard shad will survive in pewaukee, I believe no problem. I don't believe you have any oxygen problems so you maybe ok. There may be some isolated shad kills on the shallow east end. I am not sure how their spawning success would be. We have resiviours here in illinois that they just boom in and I have been on some strip pits where you just see one here and there.
Lake delton in the wisconsin dells is full of gizzard shad.
I highly doubt the dnr would put them in or let someone do it. They can be quite prolific and take over a biomass in a lake. Tampier lake in illinois, I think is 97% shad. Since pewaukee is a drainage lake they will introduce them selves into the fox river.
I am with you though I think they would benefit the lake. My experience with them is they tend to school high in the water column just under your surface clutter on your graph. I have seen them suspend just about anywhere.
Threadfin shad would not make it at all. When the cooling lakes down here don't pump in the winter, they die. |
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| Gizzrd shad are king here as are chicken gizzards, hearts + livers![;)] They are plentiful here....all lakes pretty much have them as well as some rivers. They also make great bait for stripers, kittenfish, smallies + such; if you get bored you can attach the bigs to a small outfit + loosen your drag....have Santa take care of the "stocking!"[:0] [:sun:] |
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| Lake Erie has large schools of Gizzard Shad as well,that is the main food of our Jumbino's! |
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| I was always under the impression that shad needed some kind of a minimum temp. I haven't see them any farther north than central IL. but that could be because it's never been tried??
As far as "they fear the large predators will eat the fishery out" You know and I know this has already happened, that's why you see so many skinny fish especially in the fish below the upper 40" size. Something must be done and introducing more food sound like a step in the right direction. |
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| Hello,
They do live in Iowa, the lake that I mostly fish here in Iowa is loaded with them. Fortunately for me that is why the muskie are stocked, to control the shad pop. The muskies that do relate to them are very fat and healthy fish. They are also in most of the rivers around here, I am pretty sure they would have no problems adjusting to pewaukee, but the numbers could become a problem very quickly.
Kly |
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| Jason,
Good idea. Give it a try. I would think the DNR won't like the idea but you won't know unless you ask. I think you would have a better chance if they are already present. Find a lake in your area that already has them and you may be on to something.
Shad eat phytoplankton and zoo plankton. I don't know what they would do to Pewaukee if introduced.
I hear that shad eating fish get fat fat fat.
Brian |
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| Over here on Lake St. Clair the mature muskie tend to relate more to Carp, Suckers, Smallmouth and Walleye. Even a big Shad (12")is hardly enough of a meal to entice a Muskie to move much for it.(energy expenditure vs return). The preferred prey for a big healthy Pike or Muskie is 1/4-1/3 of it's body length(but that's impractical to fish).Muskie will tend to eat fatty and soft rayed fish as a first choice of prey.(Carp, Suckers, and big Mudpuppies). |
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| Here in PA we have lots of Gizzard Shad. As a matter of fact, it's helped my fishing alot. In the lakes near me, the PFBC has stocked muskies for the sole purpose of "controlling the gizzard shad population." |
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| How fast do Gizzards repoduce...?
And if so woundn't the harsh winters keep them down and under control?
Do they really spread to other lakes and other systems quickly?
Esoxmag.. Most of the muskies around here work very had to get 4" perch.. so I would think a 10" Gizzard would be a treat for them.
Jason |
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| jason, I personally have no idea. I just know that muskies like em, and there are tons of em, and there easy to locate in the lakes around here on a fishfinder. That's enough for me. |
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| Jason, if I remember right shad can spawn up to two times a year. You are correct in saying that a harsh winter will knock down the numbers. The musky lake by me had them dead by the thousands this spring. I have seen them dead like that in the mississippi too.
Let's get one thing straight about gizzard shad. They get bigger than 10-12" I have seen them 16-18" long and plenty of them.
Like I said lake delton by the wisconsin dells is full of gizzard shad. If they can live there pewwaukee should be ok.
I was also reading a report on an illinois lake where these shad were introduced into this lake without the dnr having knowledge. Once they are in there they are there to stay. [;)] |
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| Jason,My favorite walleye lake near home,in (Iowa)is full of these shad.Twenty years or so ago they tried to start Tigers there but local dislike of these fish soon (killed) them off.Not that there couldn't be one or two still swimming.One turn up in a gill net two years.Atleast that what was said by DNR,but the lake grows some monester eyes.When the shad are booming the eyes are thick and full of fat,while when numbers are down you got skinny fish.We had a bad cold water fungus three years ago that was hard on them and Silver bass.Population is alittle low but on the way back.They grow big fish when they are in the system that I do know.Dennis Blume |
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| Jason we have a ton of them in lake winnebago. In very cold winters we have a tremendous die o. They donot take the ice water well. We see large schools of then swim through our stirgeon spearing holes in feb.
Merry xmas
Don Pfeiffer |
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Questions on Gizzard Shad