Ladyfish Fishing in Florida

Ladyfish are named after ladies who are delicate, small and slender. Also known as Elops Saurus ladyfish get to be up to 8 lbs. with the Florida record being 6.4 lbs. caught in cocoa beach, FL. They look like a small Tarpon so many call them the Poor Man’s Tarpon. They also fight like tarpon so we like to hook them and enjoy the fun.

Ladyfish are usually caught when fishing for trout a pompano along grass flats, passes and oyster bars. We usually catch them while fishing for grouper or snapper. They are found near mangroves and have a wide range of salinity so we find them most often in brackish waters. When you see a school of birds diving on the surface of the water and fish striking under the birds, you can almost bet there are some lady fish there. They’re rarely alone, so if we catch one we will catch a few in a row.

These fish can make a boat nasty quickly with their gray “poop” but it’s worth the fun my customers get from catching them. Most people don’t like the taste of Ladyfish, it’s a bit like mackerel so I suggest you smoke them or bake them with fresh lemon and some butter and onions.

Unregulated catch

Did you know…..Default Bag Limit for Unregulated Species: Two fish or 100 pounds per person, per day -whichever is more.

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