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<blockquote data-quote="Traxion" data-source="post: 320411" data-attributes="member: 983">I fish the very same reservoirs those gizzard shad came from in W SD, along with spending a fair bit of time on Oahe, Sharpe, and FC.&nbsp; I don't think there is any question that shad have improved the Oahe fishery overall.&nbsp; The smelt have never totally bounced back from the flood and shad have filled in the gaps on SOME years.&nbsp; But not all, and that is what I have found about shad, they are good overall but can be hit and miss each year.&nbsp; And, shad make the fishing, particularly fall and winter, make or break.&nbsp; The years when you can walk on the shad on a calm night usually mean TERRIBLE fall fishing and ice fishing.&nbsp; That goes for the W SD reservoirs, Oahe, Sharpe, etc.&nbsp; The best years for late fall and winter fishing are the poor shad years.&nbsp; And the middle years usually give great summer fishing and fair fall fishing.&nbsp; I think the big ones showing up are a perfect mix of a good forage- smelt, shad, and lots of warmwater fish.&nbsp; It's funny how they are there, but really the average size of Oahe fish is less than stellar right now (in comparison to the great years of say 2008-12).&nbsp; Lots of little fish with these hogs in there too.&nbsp;&nbsp; Congrats on a fish of a lifetime!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Traxion, post: 320411, member: 983"] I fish the very same reservoirs those gizzard shad came from in W SD, along with spending a fair bit of time on Oahe, Sharpe, and FC. I don't think there is any question that shad have improved the Oahe fishery overall. The smelt have never totally bounced back from the flood and shad have filled in the gaps on SOME years. But not all, and that is what I have found about shad, they are good overall but can be hit and miss each year. And, shad make the fishing, particularly fall and winter, make or break. The years when you can walk on the shad on a calm night usually mean TERRIBLE fall fishing and ice fishing. That goes for the W SD reservoirs, Oahe, Sharpe, etc. The best years for late fall and winter fishing are the poor shad years. And the middle years usually give great summer fishing and fair fall fishing. I think the big ones showing up are a perfect mix of a good forage- smelt, shad, and lots of warmwater fish. It's funny how they are there, but really the average size of Oahe fish is less than stellar right now (in comparison to the great years of say 2008-12). Lots of little fish with these hogs in there too. Congrats on a fish of a lifetime! [/QUOTE]

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