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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

Every Now and Then... Strange Fish Appear in Cape Cod Waters

Nat Chalkley / gtncharters.com

Every now and then a local angler happily pulls up a fish, only to discover that what's on the hook was not what was expected. 

This week there was plenty of excitement among fishermen at the news, and picture (above), of Captain Nat Chalkley landing a sizable cobia while chunking for stripers off the Elizabeth Islands. Cobia are found mostly in southern waters; the NOAA website lists their range as "from Texas to Virginia." They are reported to be good eating, and to be solitary-type fish, not often swimming in groups. According to Andy Nebreski, of On The Water magazine, every year there are 2 or 3 reports of a cobia landed in our area. You can find out more about Nat Chalkley's cobia encounter (he said it "definitely" put up more fight than a striped bass) here.

The cobia story got me thinking about other unusual fish that we occasionally see landed in our waters, so I've tried to put together a list here. They're in no particular order.

Most of our strange fish are rare only for being in our waters; more abundant to our south, they have wandered beyond their usual range.
Cape Cod has its unique situation to thank for these occasional vagrants. The Cape lies between the colder water to our north, which harbors cod and other cold-loving fish, and warmer southern waters.  The Cape's landmass juts out to catch the northern push of the Gulf Stream current, which often carries these oddities toward us. Aren't we lucky to be fishing here? 

Have a suggestion for another strange fish that belongs on this list? Leave it in the comments below, or tweet me @SteveJunkerWCAI.

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.