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Ladyfish
Species Information
| Scientific Name: | Elops saurus |
| Common Names: | ladyfish, tenpounder |
| Environment: | Inshore, Nearshore |
| Ideal Temp: | 77-84°F (25-29°F) |
About Ladyfish
The ladyfish or tenpounder (Elops saurus) is a species of fish in the genus Elops, the only genus in the monotypic family Elopidae. Like other species in its genus, the ladyfish has a long, slender, rounded body covered with silvery scales. Its mouth is terminal and the tail is deeply forked. The species can be distinguished by counting the number of gill rakers and vertebrae. The name comes from the Greek ellops - a kind of serpent. They are commonly known as ladyfish, skipjacks, jack-rashes, or tenpounders.
The ladyfish are a coastal-dwelling fish found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions, occasionally venturing into temperate waters. They are distributed in the western North Atlantic Ocean from New England to Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico. Its distribution overlaps with the malacho (Elops smithi) in the southeast US and the southern Gulf of Mexico.
The ladyfish is a marine species that lives in primarily coastal environments, and can occasionally be found in canals, sloughs and large rivers. They are inshore species that are commonly found in estuaries, coastal lagoons, hyper saline bays, along shorelines, and even venture far up coastal streams. Occasionally this fish is found several miles offshore. The ladyfish prefers open water areas in channels with moderate currents, and shallow bars and eddies at bends in rivers. It lives to depths of 160 feet. Spawning takes place at sea, and the fish larvae migrate inland entering brackish waters.
Adult ladyfish are strictly carnivorous, feeding on small bony fish, including members of its own species, menhaden and silversides, as well as invertebrates including crustaceans. This fish swallows its prey whole. When hooked, ladyfish will often make a fast run and wildly leap into the air. This acrobatic display has earned them the nickname “poor man’s tarpon.
Ladyfish Fishing
| World Record: | 3.62 kg (8 lb 0 oz) Sepatiba Bay, Brazil 21-Feb-2006 |
| # Fish Caught: | 304893 documented in database. |
| Earliest Record: | 1/1/1830 12:00:00 AM and located at 28.02667, -96.99288. |
| Latest Record: | 3/25/2025 12:05:33 PM and located at 25.93197, -80.33045. |
| Common Techniques: | Bottom Fishing, Casting, Fly, Jigging |
| Popular Lure Types: | Bottom Rig, Flies, Jigs, Soft Plastics |
| Fishing Spots: | 3 Ladyfish fishing spots. |
Latest Ladyfish Fishing Reports and Spots
NLBN Crew filming at Flamingo 05-15-25 thru 05-25-25 The last 10 days has been fun; I have fished Key Largo and Flamingo. I have been using the (
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Well so far May has been off to a bipolar start. The first week of the month was a grind with a lot of wind and we had to work hard for every f (
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Another pretty morning thankfully -clear skies mild temperature and just a slight breeze. I met Pete Nolan and his fishing buddy Jeff down at S (
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Another beautiful day a smorgasbord of different back water fish caught: Redfish Jack Crevalle Black Drum Toad Fish Sea Bass Ladyfish Shark Fl (
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...a combined report from Friday May 1st and today May 5th with the 60th Annual Shrimp Fest squeezed in between! Friday I fished with Chris Py (
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What a great day! After meeting Roger and Tina Pickett down at Sawpit Creek boat ramp early this morning we headed up the intracoastal with d (
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We had the prettiest day all week - sunshine with a just a cloud now and then not too hot not too cool and just a faint amount of breeze to ke (
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I finished up a great week of fishing yesterday fishing with an all-guys group from Chicago - Wes Metheney his son Jack and friends PJ and E (
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cool story here Ross hooked and lost a snook and the orange lure He cast the topwater and caught the Snook which had his lure in its mouth. Ver (
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What an incredible first half of March we have had. Things have been moving a bit quicker than normal and I attribute to the warmer than norma (
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