How to......

Ed White · #1 09-09-2004, 08:12 PM

Chunk a bunker?
I bought a frozen bunker the other day with no real idea what I was going to do with it after I ran out of clams.....but I did run out of clams, and I started hacking up this poor dead bunker into pieces that were probably way too big......only got a dogfish from it.
Anyway, like most things in life, there's the right way and all the other ways, how do you guys cut up a bunker for surf fishing? :?:
Which pieces are choice? :shock:
Let me know......
Thanks,
Ed

kkevvy · #2 09-09-2004, 08:34 PM

cant help ya, sorry. But along with that question, what are the choice parts of herring and macks, too?

Striperjim · #3 09-10-2004, 05:18 AM

Ed you have come to the right place. I just love menhaden (aka pogies, fatback, bunker)

There are 2 ways. One and most common is 4 or 5 chunks per bunker. Don't throw away the head. The choice piece is right above the tail. It will stay firm and stay on your hook the longest. I cut the tail away (some guys don't) Blue fish hit tail first. striper goes for the head. Thats why I always attack my target with a bunker head. At least one pole. Hooked through the eyes.

2. When a bunker isnt fresh or thawed out when frozen they are like mush, so in these times I cut it into chunks and then fillet each chunk. This makes it easier to hook. But when you have fresh bunker try to put them on ice and cut each one up into 4 or 5 - 2 inch chunks.

You can even get a bit ridiculous and get some nylon panty hose, put the mushy bunker inside, close it with some thin mono and drop it straight down as bait or chum. I tried it once. :) worked as chum. :D

Dog fish generally are smell feeders as are skates. Sometimes it means the water is too murky for sight feeders like stripers. I don't think the fall run will break lose in NewYork NJ for another 2 weeks.

Ed White · #4 09-10-2004, 04:53 PM

247,
I agree that it's too soon for the fall run, the water here is in the high 70's, but I intend to be waiting there when they get here, starting tonight, just as soon as I can get out of this God forsaken telephone hell-hole and down to the bait shop and on to the beach.....Thanks for the tip on the bunker, soon as I find fish I'll let y'all know about it.

Ed

merrillizer · #5 09-10-2004, 08:15 PM

In my experience, all parts of the fish work lol. Meat is meat. BUT, I believe I have caught substantially bigger fish on the HEAD over the years. This is in general though. If the conditions are right, like say full moon flood tide at night, when the current is swifter, bigger fish are around and will suck up the heads before the smaller fish will. I have also had the most violent hits on the head as well.