Ladyfish

1. Winter · gone
   0.10
2. Spring arrival
   0.55
3. ● Summer · fall
   0.85
4. Late fall
   0.45

1. 1

   bay anchovies (glass minnows) · glass minnows

   primary · finfish · Anchoa mitchilli; Anchoa hepsetus

   Diet share

   —

   In season

   Bait equivalents

   small silver spoon, white tied jig, Clark spoon, Gotcha plug

   Season

   Peak Apr–Oct · lull Dec–Feb

   Vulnerable when

   • High on rising / falling tide in calm-to-moderate surf
   • Moderate on high slack / low slack tide

   Small schooling fish such as glass minnows (prey identity by analogy; FishBase gives 'small fishes'). — FishBase SpecCode 175

2. 2

   shrimp

   secondary · crustacean

   Diet share

   —

   In season

   Bait equivalents

   live shrimp, fresh dead shrimp, shrimp tip, gulp shrimp

   Season

   Peak Apr–Oct

   Vulnerable when

   • High on rising / high slack tide

   Crustaceans are the other half of the diet; a live shrimp drifted under a dock light works. — FishBase SpecCode 175

3. 3

   sardines, thread herring & menhaden · greenbacks

   tertiary · finfish · Harengula jaguana; Opisthonema oglinum; Brevoortia patronus

   Diet share

   —

   In season

   Bait equivalents

   live greenback (scaled sardine), silver spoon, Gotcha plug, cut menhaden

   Season

   Peak Apr–Oct · lull Dec–Feb

   Vulnerable when

   • High on rising / falling tide in calm-to-moderate surf
   • Moderate on high slack / low slack tide
   • Low on any tide in moderate-to-high surf

   Small sardines and thread herring in the passes (prey identity by analogy; unverified). — unverified

Water temp

62–93°F

optimum 80°F

Salinity

5–40 PSU

Feeding

opportunistic

Typical size

14–24"

max 39" total

Group feeding

facilitates

Fast, schooling predator on small fish and shrimp. Feeds by day and under dock and bridge lights at night. Jumps and throws hooks.

Field notes

• Adults feed mainly on crustaceans and small fishes.

  — FishBase SpecCode 175

• Cold-sensitive. Ladyfish show up in Florida cold-kill events, so they leave or die off when fronts chill the water.

  • water temp ≤ 62°F

  — Fishes of Texas species account

• Juveniles grow up in lagoons and salty back bays; adults roam shallow water over mud and sand.

  — FishBase SpecCode 175

• Schools roam the passes and surf in summer and hit small jigs and spoons; dock and bridge lights hold them at night.

  • time of day: {"in":["night"]}

  — angler heuristic — unverified

Schooling by phase

winter

Absent from the panhandle surf

summer fall

Schools in passes, surf and bays chasing bait

Citations

1. [1]FishBase SpecCode 175 · diet
2. [2]Fishes of Texas species account · cold sensitivity
3. [3]FishBase SpecCode 175 · size temp range 100 cm TL, 10.1 kg; temperature range 11-34°C; depth 0-50 m
4. [4]FishBase SpecCode 175 · spawning spawns in the open sea; larvae drift toward the coast
5. [5]FishBase SpecCode 175 · habitat adults shallow neritic over mud; juveniles in lagoons and hypersaline bays
6. [6]Fishes of Texas (Texas State Univ.) species account · cold sensitivity thermophilic; reported in Florida cold kills; collected at 52-95°F
7. [7]angler reports · panhandle season unverified