We caught the meat at Willard today.

[wiperhunter2]

My  guess is a cloud of newly hatched shad.  About the right time.  They start spawning by mid to late April and the spawn may extend through May.  Once the shadlets reach about 1 - 1.5" they start to become prey and the predators have more to eat and are slower to hit lures.  That usually starts after about the first of July.

Don't the newly hatched shad usually stay close to shore or around some cover, until they get big enough to be swimming out in the open water? When we saw something similar last week Alan wondered the same thing but I thought it was too early as well. Not that they could't have spawned already, just that they would be out in the open water already. I just googled it and gizzard shad spawn at 64-70 degrees, so the temps are right.

[Mildog]

Paddler I had. Similar thing show up on
My screen couple weeks ago the day I took my boat out for break in. It was on my Garmin 106 it was only in one area when I moved away did not see it agsin. I have seen similar but usually when water is warmer and I always figured plankton or such?

[Paddler]

Paddler I had.  Similar thing show up on
My screen couple weeks ago the day I took my boat out for break in. It was on my Garmin 106 it was only in one area when I moved away did not see it agsin. I have seen similar but usually when water is warmer and I always figured plankton or such?

I thought it interesting that I went through the area twice in the evening and hooked doubles of small walleye (14"-15") both times, and in all other areas it was pretty slow.  The water temp was ~69F.  In the same area earlier in the day I caught a 20" and an 18.5" fish, plus one more sub 16" fish I released.  No structure to speak of, either.

I talked to a couple of guys who were heading in as I was going out at about 1:00, they said they caught fish straight out from the trees just north of Freeway Bay in 16'-18' of water.  Mine came deeper running lures down around 10'.

If I see it again I'll log it and post it up.

[doitall5000]

Out in 22' of water.  I noticed a band of increased density on my sonar in the area, at mid depth.  No idea what it was, but there was definitely something different.  I thought about posting up a photo but didn't.  Not fish arches, just a band of orange on my graph.

My  guess is a cloud of newly hatched shad.  About the right time.  They start spawning by mid to late April and the spawn may extend through May.  Once the shadlets reach about 1 - 1.5" they start to become prey and the predators have more to eat and are slower to hit lures.  That usually starts after about the first of July.

Thanks.  It seems early for shad, and it didn't look like bait balls.  Wish I'd logged my sonar data.

Mine did the same thing a couple of Fridays ago I use the lowerance triple shot. I am with you I still use my LCX 27 for mapping. Got way to many way ponts to convert over.

I agree with Pat 
I think i found a school of newly hatched shad fry to .I was using my garmin 7sv in John's boat. Split screen, side finder and down Imaging.  That gives us lots of tv to watch. Saw a cloud near the bottom for about 20 yards.  Does seam to early for shad.

[TubeDude]

My  guess is a cloud of newly hatched shad.  About the right time.  They start spawning by mid to late April and the spawn may extend through May.  Once the shadlets reach about 1 - 1.5" they start to become prey and the predators have more to eat and are slower to hit lures.  That usually starts after about the first of July.

Don't the newly hatched shad usually stay close to shore or around some cover, until they get big enough to be swimming out in the open water? When we saw something similar last week Alan wondered the same thing but I thought it was too early as well. Not that they could't have spawned already, just that they would be out in the open water already.                                                    I just googled it and gizzard shad spawn at 64-70 degrees, so the temps are right.

If you super-googled you would have also found that shad can and do spawn in water just above the mid 50s...and that the eggs hatch within about 3 days.  And, while most spawning occurs in shallower water, the young do not seek shoreline cover after hatching...as many other species do.  They are plankton feeders so they move out into the main lake seeking out concentrations of their fave groceries.  But, they do tend to maintain tight schools.  Initially these will show up as colored blobs...even up and until the reach larger sizes.  By mid summer the baby shad have grown to 2" or so and the "shad balls" on your TV will be bigger and denser...but still cohesive.  Only after the shad have reached several inches in size do they break up into small groups or even stray individuals...until they meet a wiper or walleye.

[wiperhunter2]

My  guess is a cloud of newly hatched shad.  About the right time.  They start spawning by mid to late April and the spawn may extend through May.  Once the shadlets reach about 1 - 1.5" they start to become prey and the predators have more to eat and are slower to hit lures.  That usually starts after about the first of July.

Don't the newly hatched shad usually stay close to shore or around some cover, until they get big enough to be swimming out in the open water? When we saw something similar last week Alan wondered the same thing but I thought it was too early as well. Not that they could't have spawned already, just that they would be out in the open water already.                                                    I just googled it and gizzard shad spawn at 64-70 degrees, so the temps are right.

If you super-googled you would have also found that shad can and do spawn in water just above the mid 50s...and that the eggs hatch within about 3 days.  And, while most spawning occurs in shallower water, the young do not seek shoreline cover after hatching...as many other species do.  They are plankton feeders so they move out into the main lake seeking out concentrations of their fave groceries.  But, they do tend to maintain tight schools.  Initially these will show up as colored blobs...even up and until the reach larger sizes.  By mid summer the baby shad have grown to 2" or so and the "shad balls" on your TV will be bigger and denser...but still cohesive.  Only after the shad have reached several inches in size do they break up into small groups or even stray individuals...until they meet a wiper or walleye.

Good info Pat, guess that is what we are seeing then, especially since they can spawn at those colder temps.

[Paddler]

My  guess is a cloud of newly hatched shad.  About the right time.  They start spawning by mid to late April and the spawn may extend through May.  Once the shadlets reach about 1 - 1.5" they start to become prey and the predators have more to eat and are slower to hit lures.  That usually starts after about the first of July.

Don't the newly hatched shad usually stay close to shore or around some cover, until they get big enough to be swimming out in the open water? When we saw something similar last week Alan wondered the same thing but I thought it was too early as well. Not that they could't have spawned already, just that they would be out in the open water already.                                                    I just googled it and gizzard shad spawn at 64-70 degrees, so the temps are right.

If you super-googled you would have also found that shad can and do spawn in water just above the mid 50s...and that the eggs hatch within about 3 days.  And, while most spawning occurs in shallower water, the young do not seek shoreline cover after hatching...as many other species do.  They are plankton feeders so they move out into the main lake seeking out concentrations of their fave groceries.  But, they do tend to maintain tight schools.  Initially these will show up as colored blobs...even up and until the reach larger sizes.  By mid summer the baby shad have grown to 2" or so and the "shad balls" on your TV will be bigger and denser...but still cohesive.  Only after the shad have reached several inches in size do they break up into small groups or even stray individuals...until they meet a wiper or walleye.

Good info Pat, guess that is what we are seeing then, especially since they can spawn at those colder temps.

Makes sense.  I wasn't seeing the larger schools that are smooth on top, rather a band of smaller, orangish individual blobs that are quite a bit smaller than a gamefish arch.  But like I said, it could be an area of higher plankton concentration that would attract shad fry, which would attract walleye.  A fine mesh net could answer the question.  

All I know is if I see it again, I'll waypoint it and work through it a few times.