bunker in the bays?

[porgy75]

With the mild winter, when do you guys think they might show up this year?

[storminsteve]

Early march

[J Barbosa]

I have seen them for every March for as long as I can remember.

The real question is when will the bass start swallowing them?

[wish4fish]

their here already dudes. waz taking my little cousin out the last few days teaching him how to scout holes and cuts and points. we found them in the bay yesterday at sunrise. they was a poppin. no fish on em though.

[plugginpete]

No offense but are you sure it wasn't herring?

[wish4fish]

no worries man herring r here too but they are in deep water. and herring dont flip. these were just in the shallow water at sunrise flipping.

[finchaser]

Herring too cold for bunker and sea herring do flip

[wish4fish]

never seen sea herring in 5 feet of water on the bayshore, have u?

[finchaser]

seen them in the wash and in the river all the time in winter

[bababooey]

Maybe you fellas should clarify if you are talking about sea or river herring. I don't think sea herrring would be all the way in the back of barnegat bay, no?

[stripermania]

^ Good point. I seem to remember a heated discussion on here a few years back where pics were posted of fish in close to the shore and some were saying herring dont come in to the surf line. If they were way in the back bay it DOES make more sense that they were bunker. jmho. Why are you guys bickering anyway? It's almost opening day and will be time to hit it for stripers soon.

[hookset]

^ Why are you guys bickering anyway? It's almost opening day and will be time to hit it for stripers soon.

Winter shack nasties have set in. Coupled with a low pressure noreaster coming in. Fishermans version of Winter PMS.

[finchaser]

Sea and we are not bickering having a winter discussion

Menhaden are warm water fish, and our studies of the temperatures to the effect that they never appear in spring until the coastwise water has warmed to 50? or more, or in abundance until the temperature is several degrees higher, which is in accord with experience that menhaden will not survive in an aquarium if the water chills below 50?. No doubt, it is the falling temperature of autumn that forces the menhaden to leave the coasts of the north and head south,

[ledhead36]

finchaser sir you are the voice of experience and always enjoy your posts and wealth of knowledge.
have to back up wish4 here. If he said he saw bunker he did. There have been several years when small pods came into the bay in February and I remember one year they were here in January. No worries there are no bass on them at that time because as you said its too cold. I don't take a thermometer with me every time I go out there though. Have seen and snagged bunker when the water is in the mid 40s and lower. When the rains stop and there's a few sunny days I will go out and scout, will try to confirm what he said. They are pretty easy to find if you know the patterns.

Winter discussion would be better over a few beers. Would be nice if dark set one up. BTW where's ds we can't seem to get a hold of the clam eater. Anyone else know?

[finchaser]

ok, sorry we ever fought to save them they are the biggest cause of the depletion of bass this time around. A few beers sounds great.

DS is fine just sulking

[buckethead]

Yes when they decided to save the bunker they ignored what was happening with the bass. More bunker now than ever, and the bass numbers have not increased. Logic would tell you with all the food the bass population should have had a similar explosion. Isolated concentrations, with not a lot of bass in the middle of the m&m bowl. Where are they? (rhetorical question here)

[finchaser]

Yes when they decided to save the bunker they ignored what was happening with the bass. More bunker now than ever, and the bass numbers have not increased. Logic would tell you with all the food the bass population should have had a similar explosion. Isolated concentrations, with not a lot of bass in the middle of the m&m bowl. Where are they? (rhetorical question here)

Dead snag and drop wiped them out bonus didn't help the small fish either we should be 1 fish like the rest of the states read the article in Sport Fishing this month explains allot about bass numbers being way down

[jigfreak]

Aah you guys are such pessimists. The stripers and weakfish are all fine. Populations are booming. They just don't follow their usual patterns they are all migrating offshore in the canyons.

[bababooey]

BTW where's ds we can't seem to get a hold of the clam eater. Anyone else know?

It's probably my fault I sent him down a dark road to eternal ruin lol. Never thought I would say this,
miss you DS! Come on and check in from time to time will you?

[finchaser]

DS is ok he's sulking