Bay Anchovy
Anchoa mitchilli
Bay anchovy is a small, schooling estuarine anchovy common in bays, tidal rivers, and nearshore coastal waters. It feeds mainly on plankton and tiny crustaceans, and serves as important forage for larger fish.
Identification points
- Slender, silvery body with a sharply pointed snout
- Large eye and a distinct dark shoulder spot just behind the gill cover
- Small mouth reaching only to about the front of the eye, with a translucent tail fin
Habitat
Shallow estuaries, protected bays, tidal creeks, salt marsh edges, and lower reaches of rivers; often in warm, turbid, plankton-rich water and near the surface or midwater.
Bait notes
Primarily a baitfish rather than a target species. When caught on hook-and-line, very small bits of shrimp, fish flesh, or tiny jig/plankton imitations may work, but most anglers net them for live bait rather than fish for them.
Behavior
Forms dense schools and moves with tides and plankton blooms. Feeds by filtering or picking tiny zooplankton, copepods, and fish eggs; highly responsive to current and light levels.
Caution
Handle gently; they are delicate and die quickly in warm air or low-oxygen buckets. Check local rules before collecting or using them as bait, especially in protected waters or where live-bait transport is regulated.
Fishing notes
Best taken with cast nets or small seine nets around lights, bait schools, docks, and current seams. Use very light tackle and tiny hooks if trying to hook one, but they are usually gathered as forage for use immediately.