Select a state to find fishing and boating information:
Get A Fishing License
Get started fishing today, purchase your fishing license online, check regulations and more.
Register A Boat
Register your boat today. Learn how to register your vessel, boating laws and more.
Home > Learn to Fish & Boat > Fish Species > Atlantic Spadefish
The spadefish is a wide-ranging species in the western Atlantic.
The Atlantic spadefish is a disk-shaped, silvery fish with about four or five black, irregular bands on its sides that fade with age. The spiny and soft parts of the dorsal fins are nearly separated and the soft front lobes of the soft dorsal and anal fins are prolonged into filaments.
The spadefish is known to occur from the northeast United States to Brazil and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. It is abundant in shallow coastal waters in the warm temperate parts of its range. Adult spadefish often occur in very large schools of up to 500 individuals in association with submerged objects such as wrecks. Juvenile spadefish are common in estuaries and are often found in very shallow water swimming at an angle resembling dead leaves. The following list includes additional details on where to catch this fish:
Spadefish are strong fighters, but tough to hook at times because of their small mouths and finicky nature. Chumming with frozen chopped clams in a weighted wire basket is an excellent way to draw spadefish to a boat. Once to the boat, the real secret of catching spadefish is selecting a hook with small enough dimensions to enable them to be hooked. Clam strips, which resemble one of their favorite foods, jelly fish tentacles, make effective baits but they can also be taken in the chum-line by presenting a fly. Experienced spadefish anglers have discovered that unlike many fish, they tend to bite best on a slack tide.The following list includes common methods and techniques used to catch the Atlantic spadefish: The following are fishing methods used to catch this fish:
The following are lures, tackle or bait that can be used to catch this fish:
10 Questions to Ask When Booking Guided Fishing Trips
Read More
Fishing on Lake Erie, Ohio
Tips for How to Tie a Boat to a Dock
Do you like this content? Subscribe to our Newsletter and get all the information you need to learn, plan, and equip for your next fishing adventure.
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP
Sign-up to receive our monthly newsletter with interesting blogs about fishing and boating. Get fishing tips and tricks and read personal stories from anglers who live and breathe fishing and boating. Learn new fishing skills, boating resources, fishing etiquette, conservation and more.
Please complete the following fields to subscribe to our newsletter.
SUBSCRIBERS PREFERENCES
What information would you like?