Sedrick Neinhuis holding the 4.45-pound state-record gizzard shad he caught April 22 in Michigan’s Grand River.
River Rumors: That’s One Big Catfish Bait!
By Keith “Catfish” Sutton
Photos courtesy of Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources
Most catfish anglers have used gizzard shad for live or cut-bait at one time or another. But very few have ever seen one big enough to make headlines.
That changed April 22 when Lowell, Michigan, angler Sedrick Neinhuis landed a giant gizzard shad from the Grand River in Kent County that officially set a new Michigan state record. The fish weighed 4.45 pounds and stretched 20.3 inches long.
That may not sound enormous until you realize this wasn’t a catfish, bass or walleye. It was a baitfish.
The previous Michigan state-record gizzard shad weighed 4.12 pounds and was caught in 1996 from Lake St. Clair. Neinhuis’ fish now tops that mark and comes surprisingly close to the IGFA all-tackle world record of 4 pounds, 6 ounces caught from Lake Michigan in 1996.
Even bigger shad have reportedly turned up elsewhere. A bow fisherman on South Dakota’s Lake Sharpe once arrowed a 5-pound, 4-ounce giant measuring more than 22 inches long. That one is widely believed to be the largest gizzard shad ever documented.
“We kind of knew the fish was there,” Neinhuis said. “Our mission this year was to get one close to 5 pounds. There are a lot of big ones out there, but it’s one of those fish people don’t ever report. I’m hoping next year we can get one even bigger.”
For catfish anglers, the story raises an interesting question: Just how big a blue or flathead would it take to swallow a shad that size?
(Keith Sutton is the editor of CatfishNOW and CrappieNOW.)
