Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum)
Other Names Shad, Hickory Shad, Herring, Skipjack Description Dorosoma is Greek for "lance body", referring to the lance-like shape of young shad.
Sunshines are voracious feeders and consume any kind of small fish including threadfin and gizzard shad. Young fish also feed on mayflies and crustaceans. Sunshines travel and feed in schools with peak activity in early morning or evening.
Like its parents, the hybrid frequents the open water portions of a lake, feeding almost exclusively on gizzard shad or other pelagic fishes. Hybrids are more tolerant of warmer water and lower dissolved oxygen than striped bass.
The gizzard shad, Dorosoma (named for its muscular gizzardlike stomach), a swift, silvery fish, 1 ft (30 cm) long, is found along the Atlantic coast from New Jersey to Texas and up the Mississippi to the Great Lakes.
Both species occupy rather open water, often near the surface. Adults feed on zooplankton, aquatic insects and small fish. Gizzard shad are important forage in large rivers. Individual fish may travel more than 100 miles in their seasonal movements.
 See also: Shad, Catfish, Sunfish, Herring, Striped Bass
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