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.
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 Fishing Reels.
