FORAGE FISH 101
Menhaden with mouth in feeding mode. This is the first of several blogs about Forage fish. The term forage fish is a loose one, and to a sport fisherman it doesn’t always apply to a true “fish”, but rather to a food source. The term is basically used to describe everything that a larger predator fish (think striped bass) would eat. Typical salt water based forage fish feed near the lower part of the food chain on plankton and other very small creatures, usually using their gill rakers and doing something called “filter feeding”. While they are eating microscopic foods these fish actually purify the water as they swim along and this benefits all other creatures that depend on clean water for survival. Forage fish like this big Alewife Herring can become fun game fish at times, and will hit artificial fles and lures. When hooked, on light tackle, they are known for spectacular jumps ! Forage fish are an absolutely vital part of the food web and essential to the survival of all fish in th