Weakfish

Cynoscion regalis

The weakfish is a sleek-bodied fish with a dark olive back, iridescent blue and copper sides, and a silvery white belly. Adults have:

• Yellow fins.
• Two large canine teeth in the upper jaw.
• Small dark spots on the upper part of the body that sometimes form diagonal lines.

Weakfish usually grow to about 12 to 18 inches, but can be as much as 3 feet long and weigh anywhere from 6 to 18 pounds.

Where do weakfish live?

Weakfish are found throughout the Chesapeake Bay during spring and summer, when the coastal weakfish population migrates northward. Schools of adult weakfish live throughout the Bay, but are most often found in shallow, sandy-bottom areas. In autumn, weakfish leave the Bay to migrate southward.

What do weakfish eat?

Weakfish feed on small schooling fish, such as anchovies and menhaden. They will also prey upon crabs, shrimps, mollusks and large zooplankton.

How do weakfish reproduce?

Weakfish spawn from April through August in nearshore waters near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

• Larvae spend the late summer drifting through the waters of the lower Bay, gradually finding their nursery areas in low-salinity rivers.
• Once they have grown to about 4.7 inches long, young weakfish begin to swim towards saltier waters, eventually leaving the Bay by early winter.

Other facts about weakfish:

• The name "weakfish" comes from the fish's fragile mouth, which tears easily when hooked by fishermen.
• The weakfish is the state fish of Delaware.
• Weakfish can live as long as nine years.
• Weakfish are a member of the drum family, which includes spot, red drum, back drum and Atlantic croaker. Each of these fish is able to make a loud drumming or croaking sound by vibrating its swim bladder using special muscles.
• The 19-pound Chesapeake Bay record weakfish was caught in 1983 near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.