Baitfish Help..

[Mccallister25]

I'm not too sure if this thread will get anywhere, but Imma give it a go anyway..

I fish in my neighborhood a lot, which has 6 or 7 ponds. They range in size from some being kinda small to others being a decent size. The only baitfish I ever see in the shallows are bluegill. Iv heard from someone that there are shad in the ponds also. I'm not sure of this at all, and don't know how reliable the source is.

I know literally nothing about shad or other kinds of fish of the like. Are shad typically found in ponds? Could there be a possibility of shiners being in these ponds?

I know there are smaller fish beside bream and crappie in there, but Iv never physically seen them. Any ideas?

[papajoe222]

If they are retention ponds, it's very doubtful hat there are shad stocked in them, but there is always the possibility that some 'well meaning' angler has put some in. If fish were stocked by any agency and not the land owner, they likely stocked forage fish as well. Sunfish (bream) and minnows are the most common as they transport well and are very prolific. If you don't see the forage, check the belly of the next fish you catch.  If you are a 100% catch and release guy, you'll be limited to the occasional spit up of  recently swallowed forage by a stressed out bass.

I also wouldn't exert a lot of time in your attempt to discover the local forage as many productive baits do not imitate anything natural in a fish's environment, but still catch them.

[Mccallister25]

If they are retention ponds, it's very doubtful hat there are shad stocked in them, but there is always the possibility that some 'well meaning' angler has put some in. If fish were stocked by any agency and not the land owner, they likely stocked forage fish as well. Sunfish (bream) and minnows are the most common as they transport well and are very prolific. If you don't see the forage, check the belly of the next fish you catch. If you are a 100% catch and release guy, you'll be limited to the occasional spit up of recently swallowed forage by a stressed out bass.

I also wouldn't exert a lot of time in your attempt to discover the local forage as many productive baits do not imitate anything natural in a fish's environment, but still catch them.

Thanks Joe. Like I said, Iv never seen any kind of baitfish in there. Iv caught bream, crappie, catfish and of course bass, but that's all Iv ever seen. I see minnows in the shallows all the time. Never have seen a crawfish there either. I catch several big bass out of these ponds every year. I wonder what they eat to stay healthy?

[WRB]

What is importsnt is what the crappie are feeding on....minnows!

The bass will eat any young of the year fish; bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish, carp etc. young of the year fish eat mostly zooplankton, insects, larve, small critters. Adult size crappie eat minnows. There are terrestrial critters like frogs, mice, lizards, small birds, rats, insects, bass eat everything.

Tom

[RanndomUndead]

Shad can be naturally moved there by ducks...So if you see ducks coming and going theres a decent chance there might be some shad. Especially during and just after they spawn

[scaleface]

I dont know if shad can even survive in a small pond. I have seen some chub like minnows in ponds. They are more hearty than shad.