Threadfin or Gizzard? Never thought to check the length of thread on the back. Leaning towards Tshad.
Thanks in advance.

Looks like a threadfin, but I don't think they are native in RI.

 

2 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Looks like a threadfin, but I don't think they are native in RI.

 

Thanks RW! This is on the RI/CT line.

 

Threadfin are more generally referred to as yellowtail in the South. They don't like cold water and begin to sicken at around 45*, 42* is fatal. Millions die during a shad kill on the Tennessee River, but the population recovers quickly. I don't believe we have had a kill this year, but they occur at least twice a decade.

 

We've had a relatively mild winter until recently. There were a school of these dead at the boat ramp, which was iced over the day before, and the wind had been blowing directly in to the boat ramp. The following day the small amount of ice that was there had melted, exposing the dead school. Also with them, where a few dead yearling Smallmouth. Water temp was in the mid to low 40's but dropped quickly to 35* within the week.

Well, maybe someone else can be more helpful, but I don't think there are threadfin in the northeast.

Alewyfe or Blueback?

After doing some reading, you may be correct. Thanks for the input!

15 minutes ago, lo n slo said:

Alewyfe or Blueback?

 

HOIST-N-HOGS, out of curiosity, were those dead shad in the picture you posted from a river with access to the ocean or a lake?

7 minutes ago, J._Bricker said:

HOIST-N-HOGS, out of curiosity, were those dead shad in the picture you posted from a river with access to the ocean or a lake?

Well, half right. Dead yes, but no inlet or outlet to the ocean. However, I just read that there are Alewife in the pond.

 

Tells you what I know. There are no Gizzard or Threadfin this far north. Thanks to everyone for there input.

Menhaden, also known as bunker. You know them better as Omega3 pills, or fishmeal...

As RW said I don't think there could be threadfin that far north. The line is around the Ohio River but they could migrate up. They die pretty much every year here on the northern end of KY Lake but then the next class will migrate from the south by July. Gizzard shad on the other hand live shallow through out the winter here.

Neither. reason has it: Menhaden / "bunker". It's a saltwater species of "shad". I don't believe they come into freshwater as adults, although the larvae grow up in estuaries. Are you finding these in bass water?

3 hours ago, Paul Roberts said:

Neither. reason has it: Menhaden / "bunker". It's a saltwater species of "shad". I don't believe they come into freshwater as adults, although the larvae grow up in estuaries. Are you finding these in bass water?

He said there were some dead fingerling smallmouth floating there as well. Wonder if somebody dumped them as leftover bait? Look like alewife to me.

12 hours ago, CJ said:

He said there were some dead fingerling smallmouth floating there as well. Wonder if somebody dumped them as leftover bait? Look like alewife to me.

They aren't alewife. Pretty sure they are menhaden. Bait? Landlocked menhaden? 

Just wanted to give an update.  Came directly from the managing authority.  "They're Alewife. Lake is known to have a large population of landlocked Alewife." Thanks for everyone's input.

Ah! They don't look like the alewife I've known. Heads are too big, shoulders too robust. It may be bc I'm familiar with the Great Lakes form. Looking at Google images of alewife/river herring I see mature ocean-strain alewives are more robust. I bet that's it: Yours are closer to ocean-run strains.

Thanks for the follow up.

I'm also from RI, what lake are these from? I had no idea any waters had alewife near us at all

They look more like herring than shad IMO.

Bottom one looks like a threadfin to me? I know they may not be native but I can buy dead threadfin shad here in Maryland for bait at Wal-Mart and Kmart so that maybe the source? Kind of like the alligators they found here in the Upper Potomac river, some idiot dumped them not thinking.

 

Allen

We have threadfin and gizzard shad and the fish in the original picture are neither. The mouths are way too big. Even a foot long gizzard shad doesn't have a mouth that size compared to it's body. 

Those are not alewives or herring. They are atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus).

http://www.vims.edu/research/units/projects/menhaden/about/index.php

 

Goldjacket... greenjacket... who gives a s***?! 

In all seriousness, I just went down the Google rabbit hole on this subject... didn't know how similar all these species were (and how many different species there are!).  My choices are usually just: gizzard shad, bluegill, crawdad.