Gizzard Or Threadfin?

[nathanhooper]

Which is more prominent in the lake? Do they occupy different area's of the lake?

I've come to realize I need to start understanding the bait more than the fish. I know....it takes a while to get through my thick skull.

[Feathers and Fins]

Threadfin are more open water and Gizzards are more back of cove water. Gizzards get bigger and tend to last better in a bait tank. As to which one is more populous in the lake its impossible to say for sure but after the shad kill this winter I would lean toward Gizzard presently.

[nathanhooper]

I'm just trying to build a picture in my head as to what the stripers are going after. I've been learning a little about how shad live/grow in a lake. I figure I need to start imitating the bait fish more so and I'll start catching some stripes.

[Feathers and Fins]

They are going after Both but the primary source this time of year will be threadfin as they are more open water. Fall when the water temps drop and stripers go shallow they tend to be on Gizzards more as they are more in the shallows. That's not to say they wont pin in threadfin but its a good general rule. Gizzard shad always work in open water or shallow as well the big meal means food and stripers like food.

I have cleaned many stripers this time of year with 2 to 3 inch threadfins in their gut so I try and find the bigger bait balls and then fish around them. I would love to get Ballyhoo and pull them on down riggers I would bet they would get many bites from large stripers. Then again I wish I could get trout out of the white and use them but for some reason AGFC wont let us do that darn them.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Isn't that backwards F&F? Gizzards tend to head for open water during light and threadfins stay shallow all the time. At least that's what I've always read and been told.

[Feathers and Fins]

Isn't that backwards F&F? Gizzards tend to head for open water during light and threadfins stay shallow all the time. At least that's what I've always read and been told.

Nope in reservoirs threadfin are very pelagic ( open water )

Gizzard can be pelagic but mostly are shallow water residents especially on Beaver in mud flat area. Here is a good write up on them http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wdb/pub/hsi/hsi-112.pdf

[nathanhooper]

Thanks for the info. I'm just thinking that while the "bigger bait = bigger fish" theory isn't too off base, if I want to increase my odds for catching fish at all then I should more accurately represent what they are eating. So while trolling a 6" lure does catch fish quite often, maybe I should stick to the 3"-4" range primarily. That's just my thoughts at least.

I may try live bait again in the future, but I like the ease of lures for now. That's also what I have heard from the sources out and about, that threadfin are open, gizzard are cove. Which is also why I am looking at lure size because gizzard are usually bigger than threadfin, so it makes more sense to use the smaller size in the open and bigger in the coves.

[nathanhooper]

Never heard of Ballyhoo. Just looking them up now. What do you like so much about them?

[YAKFM]

Nope in reservoirs threadfin are very pelagic ( open water )

Gizzard can be pelagic but mostly are shallow water residents especially on Beaver in mud flat area. Here is a good write up on them http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wdb/pub/hsi/hsi-112.pdf

Cool stuff, F&F. Thanks for sharing. I see that Dr Aggus was involved in the construction of the report. I always enjoy talking with him when I am at Southtown.

[Feathers and Fins]

I just like how they rig and stay on hooks for a long time. break the bill after rigging and push the poo out of them and they have a nice swimming action and profile is something stripers will eat.