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 fisher
