Lake Fork Lunker Gizzard Shad!

We all know Lake Fork has some Lunker Bass but how about Lunker Shad! Pake and I were fishing when beside to boat this guy gets knocked up in the air by a huge bass. The bass was spooked off but the shad was stunned enough for Pake to pick it up and pose for this picture. That's got to be the biggest shad I have ever seen!

Looks like a need for bigger swimbaits!

Live bait hook! If you can't beat them, join them.

I've been with the biologists and shocked up 16-17 inch shad at Monticello. They get crazy big. Weighed close to 2 lbs

Very funny! Stick that thing in the well with some Sure Life for a few minutes and Game On!

I wanna see the bass that was gonna eat that thing!

don't forget your Fig 8

Gizzards are not like Threadfin...they change colors for different seasons even water temp and surroundings. I've made at least 4 different Gizzard color schemes all different. Tid bit...when the water gets cold in N. Carolina they will burrow into the mud to stay warm and change color. It's a 50-50 split between Threadfin & Gizzard as to what I'm asked to duplicate & is very seasonal..the Gizzard is heartier and not as vulnerable to cooler water temps...explains this pictured..it's a meal not a snack.

Now you see why Pake catches such big bass, look at the food they eat and Pake is fishin in the middle of them

I've caught bass up to 12 lbs on gizzard shad that size, Heath. Lakes of Danbury back in the day. Fishbreeder (who started and ran Danbury Fish Farms for the Zwahr family for many years) will tell you that a big Gizzard is live bait numero uno for giant bass. Unfortunately, when they get that large, they are pretty fast swimmers. Not as easy for the bass to catch, unless they're connected to a hook!

I can smell that thing from here.

Can't you though? LOL smelly not to mention the scales you find on your face when get home LOL

Funny you mentioned that! After taking that picture I turned around and started back to fishing and heard Pake digging through his rods. I asked "Pake, what are you doing?" He said "I'm digging out my Carolina rig rod.....I'm gonna nose hook this big shad and lob it back out there and see what happens." Unfortunately, after about 15 minutes nothing bit and he went back to throwing the 10XD.
I warned him about that before he picked him up. He really didn't care though. I've had them almost that size jump clear in the boat before and learned the hard way, not to pick them up with your bare hands. They are smelly critters for sure!

Put him on a hook........

Re: fouzman
I've caught bass up to 12 lbs on gizzard shad that size, Heath. Lakes of Danbury back in the day. Fishbreeder (who started and ran Danbury Fish Farms for the Zwahr family for many years) will tell you that a big Gizzard is live bait numero uno for giant bass. Unfortunately, when they get that large, they are pretty fast swimmers. Not as easy for the bass to catch, unless they're connected to a hook! [/quote]

i was a member there back in the late seventies that was some awesome fishing that's back in the day i miss that place

SHADZILLA!!!!

I had no idea they got that big.

Pretty cool story. Pake, wash your hands good buddy!

Jim

Found this one last summer, sitting on a 52" Fortrex mount

damn thats a lunker shad for sure haha…
here at falcon ive caught two off a cast net that were about a foot each!

Impressive lunker shad, haha.

I think it was a freak of nature but I caught a gizzard shad in the ship channel gill netting that weighed four pounds and eleven ounces.

I can't begin to enumerate the big bass and big blue cats I caught using gizzard shad for bait.

Also an interesting species to work with in managing bass lakes for large fish. Some lakes can make a jump from just a lake with a few decent bass to one with some real monsters. Gizzard shad being unique in their ability to utilize detritus as a direct food source, thus converting bottom sludge direct to fish flesh. However, the species can also be the cause of a lake's demise, overpopulating and stirring up a lake to a mud hole.

A very different fish than the closely related threadfin shad.

That's a Cool pic Brian & Pake. Would've loved to seen Pake catch the bass chasing it!

Those gizzard shad get a lot bigger than that even! When I went out with Craig Bonds of TPWD electro-shocking, we shocked up several that were that size and even larger.

Dang Cody, that thing is huge!

I knew that there had to be larger Gizzard Shad but this is the largest one I have ever seen or at least got to look at up close. There is a lot of knowledge and experience on this Forum and I have learned a bunch just in this thread.

I wish he would have caught it too! That electro-shocking trip must have been a blast!

Next time you carch onelike that . Free line him . He'll struggle and fight to get off hook attracting attention to himself. sometimes it bass or big catfish. Congrats though

I'm excited to see those big gizzards doing well this year, much better food source for big bass than the little thread fins.. Let a Sandy try to catch and eat one of those monsters...ain't happen'n...

I have!! haha

Holy cow!

Wow a giant. Can you actually eat them when they are that big and are they good eating?

Depends on how hungry you are.....

Texoma has tons of those big gizzards. and no you dont want to eat them!