Right up front I want to apologize for the gross pics.  Also, I hope this is the right place for this since the question really has to do with bass forage...

Anyway, I found this fish on the bank of my neighborhood pond (about 4 acres).  This fish was about 5-6" long.  It's obviously not any kind of bass.  It's not a carp, since the mouth isn't right.  And it's not any kind of sunfish since the body's not shaped right.  The closest thing I can find to this fish is a gizzard shad.  Could that be it?  And could gizzard shad thrive in such a small pond in central Illinois?

Regardless, if there are forage fish this large in this pond it would seem like that would be a good thing for growing big bass.  Is that right you think?  

Again, sorry...

Looks like some sort of shad to me although I am no expert on the species.

Gizzard Shad

Gizzard shad - great for crab or crawfish bait: not much for bass bait.

gizzard shad can be good bass forage but one problem can be that they get so big.  the populations can get out of control and at that point the gizzards can take over and out grow what most bass will eat.  they also thrive in open water and that can make it hard for the bass to ambush them effectively.  at lake orange in va i was amazed by the size of the gizzard shad, they really can get big.

matt

They are great eating though. They are a delicacy in Japan.

They are great eating though. They are a delicacy in Japan.

Yuk!

Big Ole Gizzard Shad.

We hit em alot snaggin for spoonies on the Mississippi here in WC Illinois. We have snagged em 12" and over > they get large.

We freeze em for Catfish bait later when bait fish are tough.

Eat em? hmmmm Ima pass!

I caught a similar fish the other day (on a lipless crank!!) but here in switzerland they call them redfin.

Here's another very similar fish that i caught on megabass vision 100

European chub:

definite shad pass on the eating them.

Bad for bass, GREAT for stripers.....

Here's another very similar fish that i caught on megabass vision 100

European chub:

Yo T-rig.

Don't ya just love using $25.00 lures to catch bait?  

I caught a similar fish the other day (on a lipless crank!!) but here in switzerland they call them redfin.

That redfin looks like a fat golden shiner , I would have put him on as bait.

Here's another very similar fish that i caught on megabass vision 100

European chub:

Yo T-rig.

Don't ya just love using $25.00 lures to catch bait?

I caught 3 of them that day. I can't help it that I can't catch bass ;D ;D ;D ;D!

Bass,stripers, and big catfish love those things, I have caught several big largemouth on big gizzard shad......They have to get pretty big before a big LMB cant eat them.look at how big bluebacks get...... I have seen big bass school on the them between docks at night....kinda spooky when you see hand-size and bigger shad flying out of the water by the dozens with 5 or 6 greenback jaws in pursuit........One of the swimbait co.'s that *** carries has some threadfin and gizzard shad swimbaits....