Fishing Menhaden (Bunker) for Striped Bass in Connecticut: The Big Bait Big Bass System

Understanding Menhaden in Connecticut Waters

Menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) are oily, filter-feeding baitfish that form enormous schools in Long Island Sound from mid-spring through late fall. They're critically important to the Sound's ecosystem — striped bass, bluefish, bluefin tuna, and osprey all depend on menhaden as a primary food source.

**Timing:** The first bunker schools appear at the mouth of the Connecticut River and in the western Sound around late April or early May, following the warming water northward from New Jersey and New York. Schools are typically present through October, with peak concentrations in summer. Fall bunker schools can be massive — acres of fish visible at the surface.

**Finding bunker:** Look for surface activity — a dimpled or nervous surface, birds (particularly gulls and terns) working low over the water, and splashing or jumping fish. Bunker schools are often visible from a distance. On calm days, their scale flashes are visible from 100 yards. Check Connecticut's western Sound near Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Westport, and Bridgeport in early season. Schools move east as summer progresses.

**What stripers do with bunker:** Large stripers either corral bunker schools and feed through them from below, or they tail individual wounded fish from the margins of the school. A school of bunker acting frantically — jumping, scattering, moving erratically — often has bass under it. Watch for bunker "boils" (stripers crashing through the surface into the school).

How to Catch Bunker (Snag and Drop Technique)

Bunker won't bite a hook with bait — they're filter feeders. You catch them by snagging. The legal method is to use an unweighted or lightly weighted treble hook that you cast into the school and retrieve through it, allowing the hooks to foul-hook a fish.

**Snagging tackle:** A 7–9 foot spinning or conventional rod, 25–40 lb braided line, and a size 4/0–6/0 treble hook with 1–3 oz of lead weight attached above it. Some anglers use a store-bought "bunker snag" rig, which is a weighted treble built for this purpose.

**The technique:** Cast the rig past or into the bunker school. As it sinks through the school or as you retrieve it, sweep the rod tip sharply to set the snag hook. You'll feel the weight of a fish immediately. A properly hooked bunker — through the back between the dorsal fin and tail — will survive and swim naturally for hours.

**Immediate care:** Drop the snagged bunker immediately into a large aerated livewell or cooler with aerated water. Don't let them sit in a bucket — they die fast without circulation. Many serious bunker anglers run aeration systems in their livewells specifically for keeping bunker alive.

**Legal note:** Connecticut regulations regarding bunker snagging can change. Some areas or seasons have restrictions. Always verify current regulations with CT DEEP before targeting bunker. You cannot commercially harvest or possess more than the recreational limit.

Live Lining Bunker

Live-lining a bunker is the simplest and most effective way to fish them. You're presenting a naturally swimming, distressed baitfish that generates its own action and scent plume.

**Hook placement:** Hook through the nose (through both nostrils with a circle hook, or the upper lip), or through the back behind the dorsal fin. Nose-hooking is better for current — the fish swims naturally. Back-hooking lets the fish go deeper and swim somewhat differently; it's preferred by many for anchored situations.

**Circle hooks:** Use 8/0–10/0 circle hooks for live bunker. The circle hook design dramatically reduces gut-hooking and increases hookup rates. Let the fish run when a striper picks it up — do NOT set the hook. Reel down to remove slack and maintain contact, then come tight. The circle hook will slide to the corner of the mouth and set itself.

**Weighted vs. unweighted:** An unweighted live bunker fished free-lined in moving current will cover water and create a realistic presentation. A small egg sinker ahead of the hook lets you fish the bunker at specific depths or hold it near bottom structure.

**From a boat:** Anchor or drift over bunker schools and lower a live bunker on a short (2–3 foot) fluorocarbon leader (60–80 lb) attached to your braided main line. Let the bunker swim. Watch the rod tip — a striper bite is unmistakable.

**From shore or jetties:** Free-lining a live bunker from shore is harder but productive from rocky jetties and points where bunker schools come close to structure. Toss the bunker as gently as possible to keep it alive, let it swim freely, and watch the line.

Fresh Dead Bunker and Chunk Fishing

If live bunker aren't available (or your livewells failed), fresh dead bunker is a legitimate alternative — particularly for large stripers that associate the scent of a wounded or dead bunker with an easy meal.

**Chunking:** Cut a fresh bunker into 3–4 inch sections. Hook through the flesh of the chunk section. Add weight to sink it and cast into the current. The scent dispersion in moving water draws bass to the bait. This is a legitimate big-fish technique in the right conditions.

**Whole dead bunker (soaking):** A whole fresh-dead bunker on a circle hook, cast to a productive area and soaked, catches significant numbers of large stripers — particularly at night around structure (jetties, bridges, rocky points). The scent plume over several hours is considerable.

**Fresh-only rule:** The difference between fresh dead bunker (caught today, kept cold) and a bunker frozen and thawed repeatedly is enormous. Fresh bunker that was alive 2 hours ago is potent; old bunker that smells bad to you probably smells bad to fish too. Use the freshest bait possible.

Tackle for Bunker Fishing

**Conventional tackle is dominant:** Most serious bunker anglers use conventional (baitcasting) rods and reels rather than spinning because conventional reels handle heavy braided line, big hooks, and the drag demands of large stripers better. A 7–8 foot conventional rod, 5500–6500 size reel loaded with 50–80 lb braid, and a heavy fluorocarbon leader is the standard rig.

**Spinning is workable:** A 9–10 foot heavy spinning rod with a large spinning reel (5000–6000 size) loaded with 30–50 lb braid handles live-lining well and is easier for anglers not practiced on conventional reels.

**Leader:** 60–80 lb fluorocarbon leader, 3–6 feet, attached to the braid with a uni-to-uni or Albright knot. The heavy leader handles toothy bluefish that will crush through lighter material, abrasion from rocky structure, and the strain of large bass.

**Drag setting:** Set your drag to 25–30% of your line's breaking strength for large stripers. A 40-pound striper on a first run will test any drag system. Proper drag pressure (firm but not locked down) prevents line breakage while tiring the fish.

Size and Slot Limits

Connecticut striped bass regulations are critically important and change regularly. As of recent years:

Striped bass in Connecticut (and federally in Long Island Sound) are under a **slot limit** — you may only keep fish within a specified size range, not the largest fish. Large breeding females (which are the fish most likely to be caught on big bunker) are increasingly protected.

**Always check current regulations at ct.gov/deep before each season.** Striped bass regulations have been tightening due to population concerns, and regulations may change year-to-year. The slot limit, size range, and bag limits must be verified for the current season.

Releasing large stripers properly is important for their survival: keep them in the water during hook removal when possible, support the fish horizontally, don't grip by the jaw vertically (particularly large fish — this injures internal organs), revive until the fish swims away strongly.

When bunker schools arrive in the Sound, we'll tell you. Striper conditions, what's biting, and more every Saturday.

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