Catching Striped Bass Using Bunker

Porgy and menhaden are more commonly known as bunker. These are typically the bait that is preferred by most anglers when they are fishing for striped bass. Bunker makes up about 80% of the diet of a striped bass, it is fatty, oily and is loaded with calories. One problem that is becoming more prevalent is the number of commercial entities who are seeking large schools of bunker. They are competing with anglers for bunker due to the sheer number of products that are being marketed with the oils from bunker, namely Omega-3. A trip to a local market will reveal that this oil is found in everything from medicines to foods we eat every day and even in our pets’ food. Because of this, commercial fleets are now snagging entire schools of bunker using advanced methods. One common method is known as purse seining which involves small planes passing overhead and locating schools of bunker, notifying their commercial fishing fleet by radio and then the commercial boat will lay a net, encircle the entire school and scoop them out of the water. There are some ecological reasons why this practice is having an impact on our waterways. Bunker feed by straining food matter and other suspended particles from the water since they are what is known as a filter feeder. Additionally, bunker tend to swim in large schools, some schools in fact number in the millions. Anglers have known for a long time that if they find a bunker in the area, they are certainly going to encounter many more in the immediate area. Bunkers typically find their way to smaller estuaries and back creeks as the summer heat takes control over the waterways. Once in these areas, they are responsible for large scale fish kills which occur when the bunker literally suck all of the oxygen out of the water.

Because bunkers are filter feeders, you will not be able to use traditional fishing methods to catch them. Traditional baits such as lures, flies and other alternatives simply will not work with bunker. In fact, the two most accepted methods of landing bunker are through netting and through the use of treble hooks. Netting is far neater, as treble hooking involves getting into the area where the bunker have schooled, using a treble hook to cast into the center of the school and basically hold on until you have landed a bunker. Some anglers enjoy doing this and leave the bunker on the hook, hold their rods in the water until the bunker (who now is impaled with the hook) sinks below the school and becomes bait for a striper. Remember, stripers are sharp and they will quickly identify wounded bunker and will come after it. Not only is this method of fishing effective, some find it very relaxing.

The most effective method of landing bunker is by using gill nets. This method can snag several dozen bunker in one fell swoop without a lot of work. The best gill nets will have openings that are one inch maximum, be four to six feet deep and in the area of fifty to one hundred feet long. To get the maximum benefit of the gill net you’ll need to make sure that you’ve properly weighted it (1.25 lbs per foot of net) and that you are not using a mesh that is too large. Nets work by trapping the bunkers head in the mesh and this tangles up their gill plates. This allows the angler to bring the net out and remove the bunker from the trap that have become ensnared in. Making sure that you have the right size mesh and, that you are using weights and floats correctly is important to your success. A properly weighted net will produce favorable results. . Use too much weight and your net will sink long before you get the bunker and not enough weight will cause it to float and the net will remain empty in spite of your best efforts. Keeping the bunker alive for striper fishing is accomplished with live wells.

If you are planning on netting bunker, start off first thing in the morning, and head for an area that has a reef. If you start in shallow water you will not need to add any weight (in fact you should avoid it). Bunker run to the surface in an attempt to save their own lives when they are being pursued by stripers. It is not uncommon to see a bunker fleeing towards the surface, being knocked upwards of three free airborne by the tail of a striper and then landing back into the open mouth of the striper. It’s quite a sight to see. As the boat traffic increases, bass will typically head towards deeper water to get out of the way. This is the time when most anglers will begin fishing with sinkers and a three way rig and more traditional bait. It’s not uncommon for anglers fishing with porgy, hickory shad and eels that are in your area to have a hard time landing a striper if you have bunker on board. There’s a reason for this – your boat no doubt is now emanating a scent of bunker and once the striper identifies that scent, they become single minded in their pursuit of this favored baitfish.

When you are preparing to undergo a saltwater fishing experience, it is important that you have the proper fishing gear. Some of the most popular gear include Shimino Spinning Reel, Penn Reel and Daiwa Fishing Reels.