How To Fish For Striped Bass With Bunker

Posted by f1Sh3rM4n on July 29th, 2010 filed in Fishing

Porgy which may also be called Bunker or menhaden are one of the preferred baits for catching striped bass. They are known for stripers in fact, and many anglers depend on them for bass hits. Bunker can comprise up to 80% of the diet of a striped bass, it is high in calories, and is oily and fatty making it preferable to stripers. Today, commercial fishermen are taking millions of bunker at a time through a process known as purse seining. One reason that bunker is so popular for commercial fisheries is that food, medicine and even pet food are depending on supplies of Omega 3 oils. Take a look at some of the labels in your home and you’ll no doubt be surprised by some of the foods that you find them in. Purse seining is the process that involves spotter planes identifying schools of bunker, radioing coordinates to waiting fishing boats allowing them to quickly net millions of bunker in a single pass of a net. This is troubling not only because it lessens the ability of anglers to snag bunker, but there is an environmental price that is paid for this large scale harvesting. Bunkers are by design filter feeders, which simply means that they clear up debris in the form of suspended matter and food particles – they remove them from the water which helps keep it clear. Bunker also tend to travel in large schools, it’s not unusual to see millions of them in a small area. Most anglers already know that if you see a single bunker, there is no doubt that a school of them is not too far away. Summer heat means that bunker head to estuaries and back creeks for feeding – it’s not unusual for them to literally suck all available oxygen out of these smaller bodies of water. In fact, bunker are often to blame when there are mass fish kills in these small bodies of water.

Angler learned long ago that due to the nature of bunker feeding habits, they are not likely to be easily caught using traditional fishing methods that involve bait, flies or lures. In fact, there are only two ways that anglers find any success with bunkers, one using treble hooks and one using nets. Treble hooks are far less preferable because this method of fishing is time consuming and it’s downright dirty work – you’ll find that your boat and your clothing will almost always be covered in blood after this method of bunker fishing. If you do feel that this method is for you, merely cast your line into a school of bunker and you’ll be likely to find some measure of success. The “lazy mans” fishing option is to snag a bunker and let it swim around the pod that it’s from and before long the added weight of a hook will create an environment that drags the bunker blow the school. Stripers waste little time in identifying this wounded bunker and you’ll soon find that you’ve landed a striper with the same cast you used for the bunker. This is effective and can be quite relaxing too.

Another possible method is once you have identified a pod of bunker, consider using a gill net. A gill net is anywhere between 50 and 100 feet long, and generally 4 to 6 feet deep. You can attach small weights to the bottom to keep it stretched, and use floats to ensure that it stays on the surface. A gill net works because the mesh is just the right size for catching the head of the bunker as they tried to pass through the holes. It causes the gill plates to become entangled and when you pull the net back, you can remove the bunker. Most anglers have discovered that this is the easiest way to catch bunker. If you use a net with an eight foot radius, that is sufficiently weighted and has the right mesh size, you can literally snag about four dozen or so in no time at all. The critical steps that you need to pay attention to is the right mesh size, as well as sufficient weight. The ideal size mesh will be not smaller than an inch, and the ideal weight is 1.25 pounds of lead per foot of net. If you use less than this, chances are you will spook the fish and the net will be empty before it has a chance to sink. This is a great method if you have live wells to keep the bunker alive.

Early in the morning is probably the best time of day for angling when you are after striper. They are searching for food prior to the sun beating down on the water and the area filling up with fishing boats. Once you have your bunker ready for angling, head to a reef which is generally a good spot for catching stripers. You will more than likely not need any weight as they will probably be fairly close to the top for feeding purposes. What you may quickly discover is how voracious an appetite the striper has for bunker. If you keep a close eye on the water, you may be shocked to see a bunker running for his life heading towards the water surface only to be thrown into the air by the tail of a striper, and when the bunker thinks that he has escaped death, he’s likely to find that he lands into the waiting jaws of a bass. As the day progresses, and boat traffic increases and the sun gets higher, you’ll more than likely want to follow the bass to deeper waters. At this time, you’ll want to switch to more traditional baits such as porgy, shad and eels on a three way rig or a sinker. Do not be too surprised if you find that you’re having better luck than neighboring boats however, since the bunker you’ve had on board have left their scent and there are few things that will distract (and attract) a striper than a bunker.

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 Reel.

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