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shad vs gaspereau

4K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Brent 
#1 ·
how do you tell the difference ? besides size. From what pictures i've seen shad have spots or something but im not sure if that is a reliable tell.
 
#2 ·
Gaspereau, which are actually two distinct species of herring; the alewife, and the blueback herring, are typically in the 10-14 inch range, and maybe about a half a pound in weight. Shad, which are also a species of herring, are MUCH larger, and typically fall in the 4-11(11 pounds is the world record) pound range. I know you said "besides size" but their coloration can be very close, so looking at their size is the easiest way to tell them apart...

Other than that I do find that Shad tend to be more silvery, but that probably depends on how long it's been since they'd been in the ocean....
 
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