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.
It is because bunkers are filter feeders that it is impossible to catch them with traditional bait, flies, or even lures. There are only two ways that they can be caught, one is with the treble hook and the other is netting. Using treble hooks is not only a lot of work, but it is really messy. It does however, allow you the opportunity to cover the entire water column. If you elect to use treble hooking, make sure that you are prepared by wearing very old clothes because no doubt, both your clothing and your boat will likely be covered in blood. You may even discover that you catch a bluefish or striper before you even get the bunker in the boat. If you do find a school of bunker, you may consider using this fishing technique: cast into the school of bunker, and rather than reeling it in let it swim around with the rest of the pod. Keep in mind that the bunker now has a hook in him, and at some point it will sink below the rest of the school. Once it does, it will not take long for a striper to identify this wounded bunker. This can be an effective and relaxing method of fishing.
Netting bunker is nearly an art form as it requires a great deal of preparation and thought. Netting bunker requires the use of a gill net which has floaters to keep it on the surface as well as weights to ensure that it stretches out properly. You need to make sure that you have purchased the right size net, it should not have openings of more than one inch. This size allows you to net bunker because their heads fit through the openings but, their gills become entangled in the mesh. You should look for gill nets that are between 50 and 100 feet long and have a depth of 4-6 feet. To properly weight the gill net you will need about 1.25 pounds of lead weight per each foot of net that you have to work with. If you under-weight your net, what will happen is that it will not sink properly and the fish will most likely flee your net long before you have a chance to draw it into the boat. Live wells can be used to help keep the bunker alive. You may be surprised to find that a single netting can result in four dozen or more bunker giving you more than enough for one days fishing.
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 Reels, Penn Reels and Daiwa Reel.
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