Clear lake Shad die off ?

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birdman920
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Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by birdman920 »

Has anyone seen a Shad die off yet ?... I remember years ago' when the lake was packed full of Shad ' they had a week of freezing temps " it killed off most of the Shad !... looks like next week might be a cold one !.....
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scottsweet
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by scottsweet »

It was cold, but it was unseasonally cold when that die off happened. It is always cold at Clear Lake this time of year :).
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OU812
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by OU812 »

Fished there yesterday birds were gobbling shad in Jago & Konocti bays and at Monitor island, some floating shad here and there too. I suspect it is happening now.
Stratos278
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by Stratos278 »

OU812 wrote:Fished there yesterday birds were gobbling shad in Jago & Konocti bays and at Monitor island, some floating shad here and there too. I suspect it is happening now.
What's the current water temp?
Jim C.
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OU812
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by OU812 »

I didn't even check, a recent Matt Allen video says it's in the low 40's. I figured it might have warmed a little as the last few days were sunny and warmer.

clearlakeoutdoors
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by clearlakeoutdoors »

43 in the morning
birdman920
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by birdman920 »

Do you think a major Shad die off would be a good thing ?. & help the bite " & overall health of the fishery " , the huge amount of Shad this year obviously hurt the spawn !& killed the bite on the south end of the lake' until the Shad were done spawning & moved off the bank for awhile ?.... there seems to be plenty of other forage in the lake ?...clear lake is obviously going to be a great fishery for a few years more ! but " if the over abundance of Shad will not allow the spawn to make it to aldulhood ' we may have a repeat of the late 70's early 80's ?"...
mark poulson
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by mark poulson »

Hos did the shad spawn affect the bass spawn?
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Robb R
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by Robb R »

Are we talking about threadfin shad ? They are Plankton eaters ? Typically threadfin shad start dying off in mass just below 43F . If they can find deeper water that doesn't go below 43F , than the majority will survive .
As for affecting bass , the worst scenario is to many shad , gives the bass plenty to eat and no need to chase our lures .
Some of my most difficult days come with the threadfin shad start to spawn , when water gets to approx. 70F , shad run the bank in early morning and the bass gorge themselves , if your not on the water for that bite , it's really tough later in the day .
tight lines ,
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by clearlakeoutdoors »

snowing this morning and off and on all week
birdman920
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by birdman920 »

I have always Been told that Shad compete with bass fry ( both plankton feeders), and basically crowd out the bass fry ?...
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DanIsaac
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by DanIsaac »

Water temps are in the low to mid 40's. Shad or the abundance of does not affect the spawn at all, unless you are referring to the bite. More shad generally means more forage and fatter/healthier fish! The crappie and bluegill also benefit, and those populations also assist Mr/Mrs. Largemouth in their growth rate.

Yes, it can make a bite tougher at times but I'd much rather deal with that than the other option.

Colder temps may take some of them but I think at this point we've seen any die off that might occur, but time will tell.

Dan
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birdman920
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by birdman920 »

Great spawn in 2015. ! With a great survival rate ! but 2016 I did not see many bass survive past the fry stage ?... with the high water' you would think the survival rate would have been good ?.....
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DanIsaac
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by DanIsaac »

not sure what you mean. We had a great 2016 spawn and the lil ones were everywhere.
High water again this year should insure another one. Time will tell. Dan
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birdman920
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by birdman920 »

Very very few bass last year (,2016,) under 10" ! they were from the 2015 spawn !...
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DanIsaac
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by DanIsaac »

dont think so......but like I said time will tell. Dan
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birdman920
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by birdman920 »

check your bass biology " Dan !... they don't get tha big in the 3 or 4 months !
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DanIsaac
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by DanIsaac »

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
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WRB
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Re: Clear lake Shad die off ?

Post by WRB »

Threadfin Shad eat phytoplankton, it's a plant not animal. Gizzard Shad eat Zoo plankton and compete with any fish that eat small insects and zoo plankton like young of the year bass.
The low temperature threshold is around 45 degrees for Threadfin Shad, they go deep to find warmer water or find spring water. The life cycle of Threadfin is about 4 years so die offs are common for that year class during the cold water period.
Large recruitment year class doesn't always equal a big bass population, lots of factors involved and time will tell!
Tom
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