Two or three good throws, and you should have you all the shad you need for a days fishing. Using the right kind of bait can make the difference between having a successful day of fishing or just killing a lot of bait. 1,000 pieces of gizzard shad will not do you any good if the fish are feeding on Eley. A body of water that has a good supply of bait can make fish very picky about what they eat. Steak and lobster both are great, but when you want a good steak, and you will not settle for anything else.
Fish can be the same way.
Most of you know, shad of all types are much harder to keep alive than conventional bait like live shiners, chubs, suckers, etc. That is the reason it is so hard to purchase them. It takes a lot of work and special handling to keep shad alive in the volume that a live bait dealer would need. Only a few dealers are set up to handle and hold shad. It is very expensive to build and buy the equipment they need.