Help in snagging Bunker

[Bassknuckles]

So the last two weekends I have been attempting to snag bunker but my success rate has been poor. When I had my kayak I had great success where I could snag them almost every cast but on the boat My success rate is 1 to 25 casts. I'm guessing some of it is that I'm higher off the water (Casting from the bow of my 26' boat) and I know I'm spooking them more when the treble hook hits the water. I have tried underhand casts and using a smaller snag but without an increase in success. So anyone have a style that works better for them?

 

[Roccus7]

Back up to them and cast from the cockpit...

 

[Fluke Whisperer]

Get a cast net, even if it doesn't open all the way, with the amount of bunker in the sound your bound to get a few by accident.(●'◡'●)

 

[Bassknuckles]

" Back up to them and cast from the cockpit"
Yea, I'm afraid to give my kid another hole for his ear or nose LOL. I will try that when I'm alone or one other passenger in the boat. Thanks

 

[chunkster]

I also agree with using a cast net.

Off of a high pier the cast net isn't as effective.

I've snagged an unbelievable amount of bunker throughout the years.

You want to cast far over the school. Reel and snag through the school.
The reel and snag is done in a very aggressive manner. If the timing is off
and it flies out of the water. This is extremely dangerous.

If you cast on top of the school. You're going to spook them. Now when you
start reeling and snagging, you just pulled yourself away from the school and
never really got a good shot at them.

Off of a high pier if the rig flies out. It's not going to fly up at you near as often
as it would on a boat.

 

[Rick67]

Rich if your spooking then try number 10 unweighted on a rod you can feel with. No retrieve just keep taught and feel the drop. Learned real fast on a bad shoulder the game.

 

[chunkster]

Sometimes I put a worm on a hook with a float.


Menhaden are filter feeders that travel in large, slow-moving, and tightly-packed schools with open mouths. Filter feeders typically take into their open mouths "materials in the same proportions as they occur in ambient waters". Menhaden have two main sources of food: phytoplankton and zooplankton. A menhaden's diet varies considerably over the course of its lifetime, and is directly related to its size. The smallest menhaden, typically those under one year old, eat primarily phytoplankton. After that age, adult menhaden gradually shift to a diet comprised almost exclusively of zooplankton.