Golden Tilefish
Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps
The deep-water canyon tilefish, three hundred feet down and beyond — a permit-required deep-drop fishery for well-equipped boats.
Typically present
Photo: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Public domainLong edge is 1280px, below this project's 1600px preference. Accepted because it is the best rights-clear, correctly-identified photo found for this species — see SPECIES_PHOTO_AUDIT.md for the source search record.
- Habitat
- Offshore waters
- Methods
- Offshore
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Eating
- fair
Identification
Look for
- A large fleshy flap (adipose crest) on top of the head, which blueline tilefish lacks
- Blue-green back with yellow-gold spots, a yellow head, and a white belly
Local waters
Deep offshore canyon edges and continental shelf drop-offs, often 300+ feet down
Primarily a boat fishery here — typically fished by offshore boat.
When to fish
Fished offshore in deep water year-round when conditions allow; a serious boat/gear commitment, not a casual trip.
Water temperature
The water, not the calendar, sets the season here — a warm October or a cold snap moves these bands.
Water temperature and the seasonsHow to catch it
Primarily a boat fishery here — typically fished by offshore boat. Technique notes for this species have not been written yet; the baits and rigs below are the documented starting points.
Bait & lures
- Deep-dropped squid or cut bait on electric or heavy conventional tackle
On the table
Eat with caution — check current Virginia fish consumption advisories for the specific waterbody before eating.
- Confirmed live as of 2026-08-08: recreational anglers need a federal recreational tilefish permit to target golden or blueline tilefish — a free Private Recreational Tilefish Permit for private boats, or a Charter/Party Tilefish Permit for for-hire trips — plus mandatory trip reporting. Golden tilefish's recreational possession limit is 8 fish/angler/trip with no size limit; blueline tilefish is 7/person/trip, per the most recent check. Tilefish is also named on the FDA/EPA joint 'Choices to Avoid' (highest-mercury) list alongside shark, swordfish, and king mackerel — this project couldn't get a clean direct fetch of the current live FDA chart (repeated 403/404s), but this is corroborated consistently across multiple independent secondary sources describing the same stable, years-old joint advisory. Pregnant/nursing people and young children should avoid it; everyone else should eat it only occasionally.
Recipes written for it
Where to try
