# Alabama river shad schools



## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

I've been regularly fishing here for a little over 1 year and am amazed at the bait schools, I don't remember them being like this last year. Zillions upon zillions. I see them in the mornings turning the water black and it reminds me of my younger days fishing the pier. It looks like a dark place in the river but if you cast at it the shad blow out and make a clear hole! I actually see more on the fish finder than I see on the surface. Right now they are about 1.5" in length, their size has doubled in the last month. If the water is calm, the schools are visable in all directions as far as you can see. So someone tell me...Is this normal? I don't remember this from last July/August. What is their future? Will they eventually migrate and congregate at the dam? There is also a larger shad (gizzard?) that act like bluefish tearing these schools up, usually late & early, are these the same shad, just adult versions? - This is about 32 (river) miles N of Millers Ferry


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## CatCrusher (Jan 18, 2009)

They are there year round. They have always gotten deeper in the winter, but always seem to show themselves in the morning regardless.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

Gizzards eat algae, those other shad that are eating the others are actually a herring. SKIPJACK


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

The larger shad you see feeding on the schools are probably skipjack shad, or technically, river herring. They make primo cutbait for big catfish. Fun to catch on a small spoon or crappie jig retrieved fairly fast, and they jump when hooked. My Dad called them "Poor man's tarpon".


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

Ok thanks. All five hundred zillion of the small ones have the single dark dot above their gill, making them gizzards. The larger ones are skipjack - right?

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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

I've always wondered if the fresh-water shad would make good offshore chum/bait? There are placed near our river cabin where you could catch 500 lbs in a couple of hours, in a cast net.


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## CatCrusher (Jan 18, 2009)

Try'n Hard said:


> Ok thanks. All five hundred zillion of the small ones have the single dark dot above their gill, making them gizzards. The larger ones are skipjack - right?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner


Both shad have a spot. The gizzard will have a more rounded face. Most of those big bunches right now are juvenile gizzards.


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## 9/0 (Feb 16, 2014)

They are most likely thread fin shad. Aka yellow tails. Gizzards usually do no ball up like that. Both have the black dot. I may be wrong but that's what we have schooling on the upper Tennessee river now.


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