Went fishing with the old man yesterday out in Ct. I only got one dink, but my dad got this weird looking shad. Living in Western MA, I'm only familiar with the American. This thing looked like the hunchback of NotreDame of Shad. I'm guessing it was a Hickory or Gizzard Shad, but I really don't know:confused:

Mikey, that was a gizzard shad. did he snag it on a dart, or did it actually "eat" the dart? usually they get snagged. those are good for live lining to stripers.......... :cool:

did it look like this? if so, it's a gizzard. http://www.fisheries.vims.edu/femap/images/fish%20images/gizardshad.gif

Yeah that's the guy. We were Stripa fishing and he took a bassassassin. He looked a little big to live line though. But I was thinking about it.

how big was it? We live line hickory shad that are 14-15" in length. the big fish eat them up, yum

He was at least 5 pounds

Gizzard shad are a little darker than hickory shad, and a lot dumber. I usuall snag them while fishing for hickory shad.

I dont think Gizzard Shad get that big?

More than likely sounds like an American Shad if it was 5lbs!!

I've been catching American shad my whole life. It was DEFINITELY NOT an American shad.

STRANGE!

I know. I had the camera and should have snapped a picture.

Leave it to #^&#^&#^&#^&ie to go out for the first time in like ten years and catch Frankenstien.
Ricky be back in town,
Represent Dawg!
Fer real!!!
Rick
PS- me and the boys ripped it up down south, amazing how accepting great people are of a bald white kid!!!
Met some great peeps, guess an appearance and a strereotype of me don't go to far with the Southern hospitality...guess y'all was feelin it!
In all seriousness, met a lot of great friends who wanted to get me into a lot of great trouble...luckily my sense of good judgement prevailed.
Holla,
Rick

I caught something in the Concord River (MA) way back in the day that looked like a 12 inch cross between a shiner/shad. Any idea what it may have been? I'm really not familiar with what live shad look like, only the pictures. Maybe it coulda been one of those buggers?

Scoobe, I've caught whitefish in the Concord River. That place has about everything.....Shhhhhh;)

Oh yeah, almost forgot....gold fish. Those buggers get big and pale when left in the wild. Caught one once that was 12 inches long .. took forever to figure that one out! Don't think that has anything to do with Mike's though.

pogey?

Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum)
Identification: long, whiplike last dorsal ray. Blunt snout; distinctly subterminal mouth; deep notch at center of upper jay. No scales on nape. Dorsal fin origin above or behind pelvic fin origin. Large purple-blue spot near upper edge of gill cover in young and small adult; faint or absent in large adult. Silver-blue above, grading to siver-white side, often with blue and green reflections on head and body; 6-8 stripes on back and upper side; dusky fins; no black specks on chin or floor of mouth. 52-70 lateral scales; 10-13 dorsal rays; 25-36 anal rays. To 20.25 in. (52 cm).

Range: St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Mississippi, Atlantic, and Gulf drainages from QU to cen. ND and NM, and south to central Florida and Mexico. Introduced outside native range. Common. Habitat: Most common in deep, openwater of medium to large rivers, lakes, and impoundments; often ascends creeks and small rivers with well-developed pools. Commonly enters brackish water.

Gizzard Shad Info (http://www.cbr.washington.edu/~hinrich/shad/descriptions/dorosoma/gizzard.html)

The shad are in big time down here in south county.. its hard to find them but what a blast if you do!