How to Fish for Striped Bass Using with Bunker
Bunker which are also known as Porgy and menhaden are probably the best possible baits when it comes to striped bass. Not too long ago, Bunker made up about 80% of a typical stripers diet. In fact, Bunker is an easy target for stripers, because it is fatty, oily and contains high calories. The problem is that today, a lot commercial entities are competing for bunker. One of the reasons for this is the oils in the bunker are used in everything from pet food to medicines. The next time you are shopping, take a look and see how many labels contain Omega-3 oils. You may be surprised at the number of products that are using these oils which are directly derived from bunkers. Commercial fleets have become very efficient at snagging entire schools of bunker. In fact, they can wipe them out with a single pass of the net. All too often, commercial fishing companies will use a spotter plane to locate a school of bunker and provide their boats with the coordinates via radio. When this occurs, the ship will lay out a large net that will encircle an entire school, a process known as purse seining. What makes this particularly troubling is the potential ecological impact of doing this. As a rule, Bunker’s feed by straining suspended matter and food particles out of the water making them filter feeders. As a general rule, you will find Bunker swimming in massive schools that can literally number in the millions. In fact, there is little doubt if you found one bunker that there are many more in the immediate area. When the summer heat takes control of the waterways, bunkers will typically find their way into small estuaries and back creeks and literally suck the oxygen from the water. When this happens, which is nearly every summer, massive fish kills occur.
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.
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 Reels, Penn Fishing Reel and Daiwa Reel.
