Article by Sue Foster
“What’s a bunker?”, many vacationers ask when we mention this very versatile bait. It’s used for baiting crab pots as well as fishing. It’s oily, slimy and after a couple days, it can get downright smelly. Something you wouldn’t even think about eating but if you are taking a fish oil supplement, you are probably swallowing bunker oil every day!
Bunker is also called Atlantic menhaden or sometimes alewives. Locally, they are found in huge schools offshore of Ocean City and in the Chesapeake Bay. Sometimes you can see these huge schools of bunker in the surf. If you travel offshore in your boat, you will certainly run across these massive schools of bait. They attract predator fish, so when you see huge schools of bait, you can bet there are larger fish somewhere about!
If you see bunker in our Coastal Bays you are usually looking at juvenile bunkers; those little bunkers that are only one to three inches long we locals call “peanut bunker.” They also run in large schools and make great live bait!
Bunker or menhaden were first discovered by the Indians. They dug a hole and put a bunker next to each corn stalk to grow corn. In the old days, bunker oil was used as a lubricant and in lighting, just like whale oil. The carcasses were used as fertilizer. Now bunker are used to make fish oil supplements, fertilizer and a protein additive for poultry feed. They are also sold as bait to us tackle stores of course!
A lot of bunker is processed right in Reedville, VA which is located in the Northern Neck between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers. Omega Protein industrial organization maintains a fleet of large ocean-going harvesting boats, using a number of spotter planes, to catch the bunker. Quoted from Wikipedia, the free internet encyclopedia:
“Reedville was named for Captain Elijah W. Reed (1827-1888). In 1874, Reed, a sea captain from Maine, came south to the Chesapeake Bay and recognized the potential of the menhaden fishing industry.” The rest is history!
“The Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) is a silvery, highly compressed fish in the herring family, Clupeidae. A filter feeder, it lives on plankton caught in mid-water. Adult fish can filter up to four gallons of water a minute; and they play an important role in clarifying ocean water. They are also a natural check to the deadly red tide.”
“Menhaden historically occurred in large numbers in the North Atlantic, ranging from Nova Scotia, Canada to central Florida, USA, although their presence in northern waters has diminished in the 20th Century. They swim in large schools, some reportedly up to 40 miles long. As a result of their abundance they are important prey for a wide range of predators including bluefish, striped bass, cod, haddock, halibut, mackerel, swordfishand tuna.”
“The menhaden is also called pogy, mossbunker, bug fish, alewife, shad, greasetail, bunker, bunker fish and fat back.”
Large adult bunker are very popular in our area for two things, crab pot bait and striper bait. Crabbers slide two bunker in the cylinders of their crab pots to catch crabs. Bunker tends to work better than chicken and believe it or not, after a couple days in the warm water, smells better! (But not much…)
Large adult bunker are the favorite baits for striper fishermen in the spring and fall. In the summer months, they make great shark baits as they are oily and have good scent. What many anglers don’t realize is that a fresh bunker, filleted with a good sharp knife also makes a good “anything” bait. Small strips are good for whiting, snapper blues and even flounder. It makes a great combo bait in the surf. Tip the Fishbite bloodworms or real bloodworm with a little strip of bunker for a great combo bait.
My father, Irv Mumford, said anglers always used bunker for flounder in the old days. “People didn’t even use live minnows back then!”
“I threw my cast net last night and filled it with little live “peanut bunkers.” I put them in my live well overnight, and all of them were dead!”
Small peanut bunker make great bait but unlike live finger mullet and spot, they are very delicate. Since they make great flounder bait when they are alive, it’s best to hunt for them first thing in the morning before your fishing trip. You can walk around your boat dock, any marina basin, or around the Northside Park dock early in the morning. Generally you see the flashes underneath the water when you wear your polarized sunglasses. Cast net the bunkers, but don’t try to keep hundreds of them. Just keep two or three dozen in your battery operated aerated bucket or boat live well. Hook them through the roof of the mouth. Great flounder bait, but also good for stripers, bluefish or trout.
“What kind of rig should I use in the bay if I bait up with” peanut bunker”?”
It’s best to use a single leadered hook about 30 to 36-inches in the #1/0 to #3/0 size range. Sea Striker makes leadered packs of hooks that are 36-inch long that are prefect for live baiting small live fish. S409-36-XX is on the package, designating that the Gold Wide Gap hooks are 36-inches long. The last 2 numbers specify the size of the hook. Rig the hook up on a 3-way swivel and snap for a quick rig but I much prefer to use a fish finder rig. Attach a fish finder rig to your line, attach a barrel or snap swivel to the end of your line and then attach the leadered hook. Put a sinker on the clip of the fish finder rig and you are ready to fish! Sea Striker also makes a neat fish finder rig called a “Quik Slide. It has a Twist 'n Lock - EZ Release so you don’t have to cut your line to put on a fish finder rig. They feature high impact plastic and are salt water and braid approved. I sell lots of these in our stores.
Since peanut bunker are delicate, you need to treat them carefully. You can’t cast them real hard or constantly pull them up and down to check your bait. Some people like to hook these live baits through the back, but when you pull them in to check the bait, it can kill it just dragging it through the water. Only hook live bait through the back when the tide is still. Cast your bait where you want it, and leave it there until you get a bite. Otherwise, hook it though the lips or through the eyes so it doesn’t “drag” against its body when you reel your line in to check your bait.
“Can I freeze bunker baits?”
Don’t even bother freezing peanut bunker. It will become mushy. Large bunker can be frozen if it is extremely fresh when you do it. Bunker that is sold as frozen bait in vacuum sealed packages is treated with the utmost speed. Only the freshest bunkers are chosen and then they are “blast frozen” in a commercial type walk-in freezer.
Bunker… a very versatile bait…
Sue Foster is an outdoor writer and co-owner of Oyster Bay Tackle in Ocean City, MD and Fenwick Tackle in Fenwick, DE.
