Below is a picture of a juvenile barrelfish I caught in the Cape Cod Canal last summer. It was hanging under the docks at the Sandwich marina, at first I thought it was a small harbor pollock. It charged my jig three times before eating it, and after a quick fight, I grabbed it and realized this was no pollock. It instead looked like some kind of hideous permit, but some quick research on the web and a flip through the trusty Fishes of the Gulf of Maine revealed that it was in fact a juvenile barrelfish.
These fish are so named for their habit to hang beneath floating structure (such as barrels) as juveniles. The adults actually live in extremely deep water and are not an uncommon catch for anglers deep-drop fishing of the southern coast of the US.
So what oddball species have you caught in the Northeast? Send in your pictures, and we’ll post them as they come in.
Last summer I retrieved a floating 5 gal bucket in the weed line and several small fish were in the bucket, they never moved, from 2 to 6 inches long. Never knew what they were till now .
Thanks
Dick Fallon
We should have a weird fish of the year contest. Shore category and boat category.
Pilot fish from kayak in Jamaica bay last summer. Also, stargazer from surf at jones beach.
I agree, caught a spot two years ago in niantic, ct.
Netted some of these swimming under a floating log this June 2015 not far south of MVY.
Thought about using them for bait but ended up turning them loose.
Cool fish.
ODD FISH CONTEST 2016!!
Small amberjacks from the surf in Vineyard Sound