Well if they are simply juvenile shad then at some point they become adult shad which im familiar with.
But im not aware of any shad in the lakes i fish here in Florida. I am aware of shiners, which are targeted here on some of the lakes i fish by commercial shiner fishermen using bait and cast nets.
I do know that the places i buy minnows get them from out of state, which surprised me.
So maybe the bait schools i see are small shiners, or are they simply shiners?
Meaning the only minnows in the lakes are the ones people like me release when it’s time to leave?