I have experimented with live shad for crappie. From my experience, the biggest challenge is finding and then catching the right size shad for crappie. I am now throwing an 8' cast net with 3/8" mesh. For crappie size shad...which from my limited experience is 3" and less, a net with 1/4" mesh is needed. With 3/8" mesh, a lot of the smaller shad will get their head and gills stuck in the net mesh, injuring them. Shortly after shad spawn, this size shad can be relatively easy to find and catch...but they grow quickly and can be hard to find later.

Only other thing I'd mention is you need a good bait tank built for keeping shad; not only keep them alive, but alive and healthy. I use a thirty gallon Sunshine Grayline bait tank which has two pumps and mechanical filtration. I think you could get away with a 15-20 gallon tank for smaller shad and one or two fisherman. I add 1 quart of Morton Solar Salt and 1 tablespoon of Better Bait to my tank every time I fill it up. I also use tap water and add Prime water conditioner to remove chlorine.

To me it would be a big investment and a lot of effort just for crappie. If you are a multi species guy and will use shad for stripers, wipers and other gamefish, it's a nice option to have available in the boat.