Cut Bunker (Menhaden)
The oiliest bait in the sea - chunked bunker is the striped bass surfcaster's heavy artillery, and a bloody, greasy scent bomb for big bass, blues and sharks.
Bunker - menhaden - are the oiliest, greasiest baitfish in the Atlantic, and that oil is the whole point. A chunk of cut bunker soaking on the bottom leaks a slick of scent that draws striped bass, bluefish and sharks from a long way off. On the striper coast, "chunking" with cut bunker is a proven way to put a big bass on the beach or the boat, especially in the fall run. It's bloody, smelly work, but the biggest surf and inshore bass often fall to a simple, greasy chunk of bunker on the bottom.
What it catches
Striped bass above all - big cow bass love oily bunker chunks - along with bluefish, sharks, and other scent-feeders. The head, a favorite for large stripers, and the bloody body sections all produce. Where bunker are the forage, cut bunker is one of the deadliest baits for trophy stripers in the surf and the bays.
Getting & keeping it
Catch bunker with a cast net or snag them with weighted treble "snag" rigs where they school, or buy them fresh or frozen (bunker is widely sold as bait). Fresh and oily is best, but frozen bunker still leaks plenty of scent and is a staple. Keep it on ice, and cut chunks as you fish so each bait is as fresh and greasy as possible.
How to rig it
Cut bunker into chunks or use the head, and hook a piece firmly on a stout inline circle hook - not just good practice, but the law: circle hooks are required when fishing natural bait for striped bass along the Atlantic coast, so check your state's regulations. Fish it on a fish-finder rig with enough weight to hold in the surf or current, on the bottom where the scent slick spreads. The head is a classic big-bass bait; bloody body chunks work for all sizes. Use tackle stout enough for a big striper in the wash.
When it shines
The fall striped bass run, when big bass gorge on bunker along the beaches and in the bays, and any time bunker are the local forage. It shines fished on the bottom in the surf, from jetties, and in inlets and bays on moving tides. Low light, moving water and the presence of bunker schools all stack the odds.
Field tips
Fish a moving tide so the oil slick disperses, and use the head for a shot at the biggest bass. Cut fresh chunks and refresh once the oil soaks out. Snag your own bunker fresh when you can, since freshness maximizes scent. Use enough weight to hold bottom in the surf, and keep tackle strong for cow-class stripers.
Common mistakes
Fishing scent-spent, dried chunks instead of fresh oily bait, too little weight to hold in the surf and current, tackle too light for a big striper, and soaking bait on a dead tide when a moving tide would carry the scent to feeding fish.