Live Bait Fishing for Striped Bass: Eels, Bunker, and Herring
Every serious Connecticut striper angler has a collection of artificial lures. And most of those same anglers will admit that when conditions are right, a live eel or a live bunker on a single hook catches bigger stripers more consistently than any metal or plug they own. Live bait fishing for stripers is the approach when you want the biggest fish on any given tide, not the most fish overall. The presentation is as natural as it gets — because it is the natural thing.
Live Eels: The Trophy Striper Bait
American eels are arguably the most effective single striper bait in Connecticut. They're natural prey throughout the striper's range; they're active and create movement that attracts fish from distance; and they're extremely hardy — a live eel stays alive for hours in a bucket with proper aeration.
The eel's advantage: Stripers that have seen and refused hundreds of artificial lures during daylight and high boat traffic often cannot resist a large, living eel presented naturally on an outgoing tide at night. Trophy stripers (30+ pounds) respond to live eels more consistently than any other presentation.
Where to get eels: Some bait shops in CT stock live American eels seasonally. Call ahead — not all shops carry them. Eels can also be trapped from freshwater streams in fall.
Rigging eels: A single 6/0-8/0 circle hook inserted through the lower jaw (through the jaw and out through one nostril) allows the eel to swim freely and naturally. Leader: 30-40 lb fluorocarbon or monofilament. No weight necessary in most presentations — let the eel's natural movement bring it to the right depth.
Live Bunker (Menhaden): The Big Fish Bait
Atlantic menhaden (bunker, pogies) are the most abundant prey item in Long Island Sound during summer and fall. When large stripers (25-50+ pounds) are feeding, they're typically feeding on bunker. Presenting a live menhaden to a striper actively feeding on a school of bunker is as close to guaranteed as fishing gets.
Finding bunker: Schools of bunker are often visible on the surface — their rolling, flashing movement in open water is distinctive. Check under diving birds. The Connecticut River mouth in fall concentrates bunker being flushed out on the outgoing tide.
Capturing bunker: Snag bunker with a cast net or large weighted treble hook (snag hook) thrown into schools on the surface. This requires practice and open space — snag hooks are heavy and cast further than a standard cast.
Rigging live bunker: Circle hook through the back (between the dorsal fin and the spine — this keeps the fish alive and swimming) on a 40-50 lb leader. Use minimal or no weight — allow the bunker to swim naturally. Chum with cut bunker to attract stripers to your position.
Live Herring and Alewife
River herring (alewife and blueback herring) return to CT rivers in spring during the same migration window as shad. They're an important striper food source and make excellent live bait when available.
Herring timing: April and May in the CT River estuary and Salmon River mouth. Herring are more delicate than eels and bunker — they stress and die quickly in a bait bucket without significant aeration and regular water changes.
Rigging herring: Same principles as bunker — single circle hook through the back between dorsal and spine, light leader, minimal weight. Fish near the surface where herring naturally swim.
Herring availability: Most CT bait shops don't regularly stock live herring. Catching your own from schools in tidal rivers during the spring migration is the main supply. Check local regulations for herring harvest rules.
Live Bait Equipment and Setup
Aerated bait bucket: Essential for keeping live baits alive. For eels (tough): a simple bucket with a small aerator handles them for a full night. For bunker and herring (fragile): a round bait bucket with continuous aeration and periodic water changes with fresh seawater. Commercial round bait containers with built-in aeration (Frabill Flow-Troll) are the best solution.
Rod and reel: Medium-heavy conventional or spinning setup, 7-9 feet. Live bait doesn't require heavy rods, but the fights with large stripers do. 20-30 lb class is appropriate.
Line setup: 30-50 lb braided mainline, 30-40 lb fluorocarbon or monofilament leader (8-15 feet), single circle hook or single live bait hook. Avoid treble hooks for live bait — single hooks create less burden on the bait and penetrate circle hook-style on the hookset.
Drift fishing: Drift live bait through known striper areas on the tide — off points, through rip currents, at river mouths. Follow the current at the speed of the water to create a natural drift.
Where and When to Live Bait for CT Stripers
Connecticut River mouth (Old Saybrook): Spring migration of stripers coincides with outgoing bait on the tide. Anchor off the north jetty on the outgoing tide in May and present a live eel at depth. This produces some of the largest stripers caught in Connecticut each year.
Thames River mouth (New London): Similar dynamics to the CT River — tidal current flushes baitfish and stripers stage at the mouth to intercept them.
Night fishing from CT shore (jetties, rocky points): After dark in May through October, present a live eel along the bottom at known structure. Eels slide into the rocks and crevices that large stripers patrol.
Anchor fishing in rip currents: The Race (between Fishers Island and the mainland) is a legendary trophy striper spot — deep water, massive current, and huge fish. Live bait at depth in this current produces the largest stripers in CT waters.
Artificial lures, live bait, and seasonal tactics for CT striper fishing — subscribe to Hooked Fisherman for the complete striper playbook.
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