Catching Bunker and bait fish before your trip- need help

[BAHILA / PCramer6]

Maybe some of you could give me a little insight on catching bunker before my trips out.  I notice a lot of Captains posting catches before their trips out using throw nets and grapples.  I don't know much about it but it sounds cool.  Can anyone provide imput on the how and where aspects?
Thanks,
Pat

[Luna Sea 5]

this time of year, most marinas hold bunker early in the morning.  Look for swirls in the water, mark them on your finder, and you will also see them break water.  If you know how to throw a net, stand at the bow while someone else putters the boat along, make sure you don't spook them, watch for what I mentioned above, then give a nice throw of the net.  You can also circle around them and heard them together to make it easier. If they are thick, 1 throw will produce 50 - 100 bunker.  Forget about the snagging, takes too long and alot of work, and you have to have a nice technique. Make sure you have a way to keep them alive and the rest of the day you will have the best live bait money didn't buy. One throw of the net will pay for itself with the prices of fresh bunker now-a-days.

[BAHILA / PCramer6]

What type of fish to you hit with live bunks?

[Luna Sea 5]

What type of fish to you hit with live bunks?

Live bunker = Large stripers, Sharks.  Fresh cut bunker = Large stripers/bluefish...  Fresh strip bunker = large fluke and everything else that swims.

[mboy]

Yup. Live bunkies will get bass, blues, weaks, sharks (peanut bunker-the smal snapper sized in late summer- will get BIG fluke).
Cut bunker gets you basically the same.

I have been practicing with my castnet in yard and am ready to go whenever I can get my damn boat ready to really use.

I am a pro treble snagger- have perfect rod and technique for it.
if you ever in my area, let me know and we can get a whole bunch.

I am hoping to at least go out and throw the net on Sunday.

[Mate Mike]

For Luna Sea 3

Forget about the snagging, takes too long and alot of work

  In my area we don't have bunker in shallow water where a cast net will work,  we only find them in the ocean where we must snag them.  In the ocean the net falls too slow and the bunker excape.  We must do it the hard way.  If you know of a net that can be used in the ocean, by all means let me know - I would rather catch 50 to 100 at a time.

[Luna Sea 5]

What if you go with a larger net, large openings and heavier weight.  Even if they scatter and you only get a dozen per throw instead of 50, it will still take less time then snagging them.  DONT YA THINK.  Coral them up by driving the boat in a circle.  the bunker with gather together, or, if there is another boat out there, he can help, then when they are thick, your chances are much greater of getting a good amount.
Almost like whales.  You will get 2 or 3 whales circle bait fish and coral them together, then they explode into the mix.

[mboy]

I have seen the comercial guys easily catch bunker 20-30ft deep now problem. I just bought a Calusa craker net that is 1 5/8 mesh with 1.5lbs lead per foot.

That will def get the ocean bunker NO problem.

Sometimes, the only way is to snag them, but that is VERY time consuming as Nicky pointed out and quite messy