The Striped Bass is the state fish of South Carolina yet Striped Bass fishermen have difficulty getting quality live bait to use on Lake Murray. Blueback Herring can be purchased locally, but trophy-sized Striped Bass prefer Gizzard Shad. Local anglers rarely have the opportunity to catch or purchase Gizzard Shad close to Lake Murray. This situation could be fixed easily if the state, county, or local municipality would raise Gizzard Shad in a local pond or lake where the Gizzard Shad can easily be caught with cast nets. The local pond or lake can be managed as a trophy Largemouth fishery as well, since the Largemouth Bass can grow very large with Gizzard Shad as forage. Fishing contributes thousands of dollars to the local economy. If Lake Murray is to be advertised as a great destination for Striped Bass fishing, then quality live bait should be a reasonable expectation. Anglers at Lake Hartwell, Clarks Hill Lake, Lake Wateree, and Santee-Cooper generally have Gizzard Shad available for purchase near their lakes. Lake Murray anglers should have similar availability. If you fish for Striped Bass on Lake Murray and would like to be able to purchase Gizzard Shad locally or catch your own Gizzard Shad in a pond close to Lake Murray, then please sign the petition to let our local government and bait dealers know of its importance to you. 

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