Is this classified as Gynormous?

Size 12 Boot (just for reference)

I catch em up to 17-18 inches. Anything over 10 inch I call magnums. You can definitely classify that one as ginormous but anything over 14” I call it a trophy shad.

The Texas rod and reel record for a gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) is 2.67 pounds and it was 18.00 inches long. The other methods record is 2.97 pounds and 18.25 inches long.

Thats a good 1 for sure. I love that size when winter drifting.

I use to work for a lake management company out of Bryan. We were electro shock surveying a private lake one time. We shocked one up that weighed 2.5 lbs. Bout the size of a football when looking at it from the side.

we call them Shadzillas.........

Monster Shad!

IGFA world record gizzard shad came from Lake Michigan and weighed 4 lbs 6 oz.

Im wondering how there is a rod and reel record for Gizzard Shad since they don’t bite a hook. Have snagged them with crappie jigs and crankbaits when I used to fish for other species but thats considered snagging not catching. Most lakes don’t even keep a Gizzard Shad record due to this fact but it’s safe to say that 18.25 inch record has been broken plenty of times by bluecat anglers chunking their cast nets.

I'm willing to bet in the history of mankind, a gizzard shad has bit a hook at some point.

Anything is possible I suppose but since they eat phytoplankton, zooplankton, algae, and are filter feeders it doesn’t happen very often. Kinda hard to thread a hook with zooplankton or a tiny almost microscopic insect larvae. If Gizzard Shad were catchable by hook then most of our lakes would have a rod and reel record. Just saying. At the very least you would hear of at least 1 angler who targets them with rod and reel but you don’t. You can’t even find anyone on the internet who catches them by rod and reel. If guys were doing it there would be reports of guys catching Gizzards that way. You can catch American Shad and Skipjack by rod and reel but never heard of anyone catching Gizzard Shad that way. If any of you guys have ever caught one with a baited hook I’d like to know what was the bait and how come no one else is doing it.

LAVON
Species Weight Length Date Angler Method
Shad, Gizzard 1.02 14.00 Apr 5, 2008 Joseph Bonnette Rod and Reel

Ray Hubbard
Shad, Gizzard 0.90 12.00 Aug 25, 2015 Justin Zadnik Rod and Reel

Texoma
Shad, Gizzard 1.25 14.88 Nov 24, 1998 Arnold Hill Rod and Reel

https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/programs/fishrecords/recordsearch.phtml

I dunno anyone who does either, but TPWD shows rod & reel records for this.

I heard the Lavon record was caught with a jig by a crappie fisherman. Probably snagged in the mouth when jigging. I’ve done it myself but I wouldn’t say the shad hit my jig. More like I hit him in the mouth with my jig. I also heard the Hubbard record was caught with doe bait. Most likely a lucky snag in the mouth when the anger set the hook on a fish. This is a catfish forum and most of us bluecatrs use Gizzard Shad. If you could get em by hook there would be at least 1 person who would be sharing their personal experience on how they catch em. I bet y’all can’t find one angler who catches their gizzards by hook. Not 1

Shadzillas! They get me all excited!

I like those big ones in the spring. Make some good flathead bait if you can keep me alive.