Feeding Frenzy

A feeding frenzy occurs when a large school of baitfish or the presence of a large quantity of any other type of food such as chum or shrimp boat trash attracts a school of predator fish or causes a number of normally solitary fish to gather. The predator fish all begin feeding at once. They being competing for food, becoming excited and aggressive. Bluefish and some species of Sharks are particularly known for this type of feeding behavior.

During a feeding frenzy, baitfish often become panicked and move wildly, for example, leaping from the water or running into shallows. The predators will strike blindly at anything, including bare hooks, each other, and sometimes at humans if they are in the water. Because this type of feeding releases a lot of blood and scraps in the water and leaves wounded baitfish, flocks of birds are attracted to the feeding site, and charter captains use this sign to locate schools of game fish.