Nowadays, one of the common problems in the management of fish population for a pond or lake is the over population of largemouth bass (LMB) within the impoundment. In most cases, this scenario is due to the lack of adequate harvest of the LMB to maintain the predator prey balance. The sufficient harvest is needed to sustain a vibrant population relationship between the bream/bluegill (which are the prey) and the LMB (which are the predator). The “cut to the chase” story is that the bream population density is dramatically reduced, and the LMB population becomes stunted due to the lack of available forage for them to grow. One method to counteract this condition is to add additional forage for the LMB. This method can reduce overall forage pressure, which will serve to help re-establish the bream/bluegill population density within the lake or pond.
Threadfin Shad (Dorosoma petenense), usually as a one-time investment, is a species that can provide more forage to establish a sustainable population. Threadfin Shad make excellent food for bass. Stocked early enough in the spring they will perform their initial spawn of the year in the impoundment, which will help them establish a population that will support reproduction year after year. Shad forage on phytoplankton and zooplankton, so it is important to have a good fertilization program in place to ensure the establishment of this species. The downside to shad is that a sustained period of water temperatures below 40 F degrees can result in a partial or total die-off. If such an event occurs, additional shad will have to be stocked in the spring. Of the lakes that Aquascape Environmental manages, we only know of one winter die-off within the past eight years. Threadfin Shad need impoundments of at least three surface acres to be successful, so they are not applicable in all situations. The young grow to 2” in their first year and can attain a maximum length of 8.5”—this makes them a versatile forage for bass of many different size classes. Shad are stocked by the load, which is around 7,000-10,000 fish, and in most cases one load stocked in the March to early April timeframe is an adequate number of fish to establish a sustainable population within an impoundment.
If you have any questions concerning supplemental forage stocking or any fisheries management issues, please contact our Fisheries Biologist, Matt Troxler, at our office number at 678-445-0077. He can provide additional information for improving your fisheries management strategy and your fish stringer.
