Baby shad anyone?

[wiperhunter2]

I was in Wal*mart today and found they are selling baby shad. I'm sure some of you already knew this but it was news to me, here is a picture.
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[fishley]

Dang if only thay were alive I could transport them up hear too wyoming I can use live bait in some place's hear,if only I had a tank full of live one'sLOL thank's wiperhunter.Fishley[]
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[wiperhunter2]

I thought it was kind of funny that we can buy them because I believe it is illegal to have them in your possession. I think that is what the proclamation says anyway. WH2
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[Kraizee_Skot]

[font "Impact"][#ff4040][size 3]I think I have seen them there before, but really never paid much attention to them.[/size][/#ff4040][/font]
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[Troll]

What kind of Shad are they. I think the law is that we cannot posess Gizzard Shad. The package may be Spot Tail Shad or Threadfin Shad.
There are several Shads.
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[DrewT]

Troll is right on that. Although I don't know that the park rangers and COs at Willard necessarily know the difference. Could turn out to be a sticky situation.
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[wiperhunter2]

I didn't think about that, I was thinking because they had the spot behind the head they were Gizzard shad but I guess threadfin shad might look the same. The package they came in does not say what they are but I was hoping that since I have the package they came in, the DWR would not give me any problems. Maybe I should go to the DWR office and ask someone there. WH2
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Breathe easy. Those are decidedly threadfin shad. They are found in almost every state where the water stays at least 45 to 50 degrees in the winter. Lots of them in Powell, but they could not make it in Willard. It was tried before. However, they are legal (dead) as bait.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, before you spend a lot of money on embalmed threadfin shad (usually stinky formaldehyde) be aware that cut anchovies will work just as well for wipers as they do for stripers in Powell. In fact, chub minnows with shad oil will work just fine too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I strongly suspect that even if gizzard shad were legal to use, you would catch more catfish on them than wipers. Whenever you chuck bait out there, you are less likely to score bigtime on the wipers than by using the tried and true trolling lures and techniques.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The major exception to that is winter fishing, either in open water or under the ice. Wipers slow W-A-A-A-A-Y down, and are more likely to pick up a bait, either on the bottom, hanging from a float or dangling under an ice hole. They become more scent oriented and less visibility oriented in the cold water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In the southern states, where wipers grow much bigger and are caught in open water all year, they are frequently caught on worms, clams and even liver being fished for catfish during colder months. I have even seen wipers caught on the rankest of stinkbait.[/#0000ff]
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[DrewT]

Not a bad idea. However, I still think it could be sticky. The I&E (Information & Education) officers are not always up on law. Also, I think that there could be some interpretation of the law that might bite you. Namely: Posession is illegal. It does not say posession is ok if you buy them from the store. My advise would be to call the Northern Region office and get the number for CO responsible for Willard and talk to him directly. Then I would call Willard Bay and speak with the park rangers directly.

About a decade ago, I did full time research on Willard and got to know many of the park's rangers. They were all very good guys but were not necessarily trained to know all of the fishing regulations although they were forced to enforce them.

Anyway, be sure you have your package with you as well.
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[cat_man]

Hey Drew, do you know if the DWR ever got around to dredging Spring lake this fall like was planned? I live nearby and it seems like nothing was done, but I might be wrong.
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[Troll]

It dosent take alot to tell the difference in shad. The spot tails have a spot on the tail. This is to fool predators into thinking the spot is the eye and fool them into hitting the wrong end of the fleeing shad. Thread fins have just that. A thread like fin ray coming off the dorsal. Gizzards I can't tell you much about because we can't posess them.

Bottom line, if you buy some of these, stay off Willard with them.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I just did a bit of checking in the 2005 proclamation. While there is no distinct prohibition against using threadfin shad as bait, there is a restriction against using them anywhere other than in Lake Powell. In fact, it prohibits removing DEAD shad from the Lake Powell area. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Depending upon the interpretation of a CO who found you using the packaged shadlets, you could be in for either a lot of "splainin'" or a hefty ticket. Probably not worth testing the regulations.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to check with DWR and have them visit Wally World to make them aware of the potential violations. If they do, I hope they check the aquariums in the basement, to verify that they aren't raising their own shad.[/#0000ff]
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[wiperhunter2]

Well I stopped by the DWR office yesterday as I was going to work and showed them the package of baby shad. They said they had ran across this problem last year when a guy brought a package of the same shad into their office. Bottom line, it is OK to fish with them as long as I keep the package as proof that I didn't catch them myself. According to the DWR agent they are gizzard shad. I was planning on fishing them on the bottom or maybe try to use them in a JP rig. Although I don't know if they will spin the same as an anchovy would, I guess it is worth a try.
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