Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. There is at least as much we don't know about the process as we do know. A few winters we have had dramitic shad kills, and other years very little. The theory is that we try to take advantage of two characteristics of Gizzard Shad.

One is that they are easily stressed when their numbers are high and the habitat is reduced, as happens when we lower the pool and concentrate all the fish into a smaller area. The other is that they are easily stressed with cold weather, particuarily rapid changes toward freezing weather. The combination of stress factros seems to have a synergey effect when everything happens just right. The problem is that this is Indiana and the weather is almost never just right for anything very long.

While I have no science to back it up, I also think the bass fishery plays a part when the weather is cold enough to kill shad on the surface. That may be because when the cold drives the shad toward deeper water, what they find there is a super concentration of bass; which chases them back to the surface where they have no choice but to freeze or be eaten. Of course this also accounts for the football shaped bass we are seeing in the lake these days.

This project was never designed to remove the shad. Our hope is to have enough years with high kill rates to just help keep their numbers somewhat under control. Like I said, sometime it works and sometimes it don't.

Yes, there has been discussion about possibly introducing another preditor, altough if it ever happens it will likely be wipers. The current thinking is still that although bluegill and crappie are suffering and we expect bass to lose young bass recruitment over time, right now the situation is creating some very attractive bass fishing. While that lasts we will probably not want to see another peristor compete with them. Perhaps once the bass fishery declines, as it always will in a shad lake, we will want another perditor to utilize the shad forage base while we await the time for another total renovation.