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The Fishing News
00000177-ba84-d5f4-a5ff-bbfc9abb0000 with Steve JunkerEach week during saltwater fishing season Steve Junker checks in with the folks at On the Water magazine and others to find out who's catching what where around the Cape and Islands—and how they're doing it. 00000177-ba84-d5f4-a5ff-bbfc9abc0000For a detailed weekly Fishing Forecast, check out On the Water.00000177-ba84-d5f4-a5ff-bbfc9abb0001

Abundant in Early 1900s, an Unusual Fish Returns to Cape Cod Waters

Diane Rome Peebles

 

For anglers fixated on the arrival of striped bass, cool temperatures slowed the start of this year's fishing - especially when compared to the last few years with their above-average warm spring seasons. But the fish that's caught a lot of attention this spring is an unusual visitor to our waters - the weakfish. The Fishing News looks at the strange historical cycle of weakfish in Cape Cod waters.

Audio of the conversation posted above.

Here's a few weakfish facts:

  • It's also known as a sea trout, or a squeteague.
  • The current MA limit is one fish per day, 16" minimum.
  • The name is said to derive from the ease with which fishermen's hooks tear out of their mouths.
  • In 1981 Delaware adopted the weakfish as its state fish.

More weakfish information can be found on this website from the University of Rhode Island.

Steve is Managing Editor of News. He came to WCAI in 2007. He also hosts the weekly News Roundup on Friday mornings and produces The Fishing News.