Ribbonfish Encounter?

Type: Chesapeake
Region: Eastern
Location: Lower Patuxent River

Hello, not sure how common these are but Thursday morning (July 22nd) trolling a small silver spoon in the mouth of the Patuxent I picked up about a 24" ribbon fish. I've never seen or heard of one, looked it up and that's what it was. Are these common around here?

DNR's Response:
Digital pictures make the identification of mystery fish so much easier than just a few years ago when anglers just gave a vague description by e-mail or phone� This is an interesting but not uncommon summertime visitor to Chesapeake Bay:
Steve, you correctly identified your fish as a ribbonfish, also known as the Atlantic cutlassfish. Key identifying characteristics are flattened body, large teeth, and pointed tail. We get several calls about cutlassfish every year, usually in July and August, sometimes as for north as the Bay Bridge. Most of the fish we hear about are 2-3 feet long, but they are reported to reach 4 feet.
Eric Durell, Fisheries Serivce Biologist