BB 7/12 Sea Trout special!

[Cal]

Launched out of G dock this morning around 7 am. On my way out I saw a fin, my guess is a redfish fin. Why I didn't stop and cast to it, I'm not sure. Caught a couple spot shallow, (they basically died while live lining. don't live too long on the hook I guess)QUESTION: does hooking them through the tail make them die quicker? I don't pierce the lateral line, just above it., no hits on em.

I went over to the multi pylon side of the bridge, shallow, I was seeing a lot of splashing on the surface. Not sure if they bit or I snagged them, but a lovely school of speckled trout were in the area and I managed to catch two of them. Put up a great fight on my ultralight rod. I was throwing a green grub on a 3/8 ounce jig head.

Then I tried jigging the pilings, Still no success yet with that technique. I did see another kayak angler land a large striper right next to me by the same method, so I know it's effective. I will get it down.

Great day, nice temperatures. Medium current, chop wasn't too bad.

[HokieDJ]

I don't think those look like Speckled Trout. Did it have fang like teeth in it's mouth?

[Grilled]

those are bunker

[Cal]

Thanks for letting me know the real deal! Upon doing more research, weakfish do look similiar, however they don't have the forked tail, among other differences. Oops! The adults look a lot different than the peanut (baby) bunker.

After doing more reading Menhaden (bunker) are filter feeders ( like whales) that eat plankton and help clean the water and are a deterrent to the red tide. So the only way to catch em is to snag em( or net them)

Excuse my ignorance, I have done most of my saltwater fishing off jetties and surf fishing The outer banks of Nc and the Jetty by Murrels Inlet SC. Very familiar with mullet, never seen an atlantic menhaden, so this was new. They make good bait, right? I was thinking of putting a little chunk of bunker on the jig with my Bkd. it spoils fast I read, does it need to be kept on ice?

Next report I post with a pic of a fish I catch that I'm not sure of, I will just say caught fish. Help me identify it, lol! -

[ictalurus]

The big bunker are around, so it didn't have to be somebody's bait. We've caught a number of them in the Patuxent and Choptank while trawling during the past two days. Hopefully, big stripers will be following big bait.

Had those been specks, they probably would've hit your lure. Unless you could see some spots, the fin you saw was probably a cownose ray. They're more of a nuisance than anything.

Regarding the spot dying quickly, did you have them on the bottom? If so, the amount of dissolve oxygen available in the water at the bottom might've been too low. I heard spot on the bottom were dying down by the gas docks earlier this month. We didn't see any stratification in the rivers, but the Bay might be stratified.

Don't feel bad about not catching anything while jigging. Both times I've fished the bridge, guys that were fishing next to me or fished a piling after me were catching like crazy while I sat there skunked.

[Cal]

Bunker only get to 18 so I inches? Or have you seen larger ones Ictalarus? the couple I had were around 16".

Regarding the spot I just read that a way to keep them alive longer ( presuming the low Oxygen didn't get him) is to rig them through the mouth and out they're nostril, making sure not to use not too large of a hook to avoid damaging the spot more.

I have gotten better at holding position at the pilings, I use my legs to hold the rod while I maintain/adjust position. It's quite the multitask. I think a rod holder right after the seat would be a great place for one. hmm...

[missedshed]

Put a rod holder in front of you in the center where you can reach it. If you place it correctly it won't be in your way even with a rod in it while you paddle. Once you get your technique down/system you will have no problem casting and getting at least one drift in per cast. I will put my jig on the rod holder with the rod in it.... Paddle up to my correct position of the drift angle needed. Put my paddle on my lap on an angle in the kayak Grab and toss jig out on downside of current to kayak and same time pulling rid out. Than make cast. I usually use fluorocarbon bc it's stronger than mono and can take more nicks.... I don't like braid out there bc snapping the line is a pain as it is when snagged. However, I had left over mono that I put on the other day... It becomes a pain after it gets stressed as it wants to loop my rod tip at times.... I never had that problem with flouro.. Usually I don't care when bank fishing but if it loops... It's just enough time to not get a drift in bf I get it off. Some days that current is moving... It was last two times I was out.

[missedshed]

Here are a two photos showing my one rod holder placement. Without it, it was a pain after a catch... Either reaching back to the side/back rod holders or putting my leg over it. I got the rod holder at west marine on Kent Island.... It holds either a bait caster or spin caster. I also have a paddle leash and it secures around the rod holder... So I'm not worried about accidentally knocking it over. Here are two photos that I found I had that will give you a better idea and placement


Showing the rod holder in the center




Rod holder with rod not in my way at all.

[ictalurus]

Bunker only get to 18 so I inches? Or have you seen larger ones Ictalarus? the couple I had were around 16".

16" is pretty much the maximum size according to everything I've read and all the big ones I've seen.

I have to admit, when I saw the title of your post and then saw the pictures, I was waiting to see if you tried to cook them. I'm perverse, I know. In colonial times, people used to eat menhaden. They could be fried without butter. Some of the fresh ones I've cut up for bait didn't smell too bad, but I didn't work up the nerve to eat one. In my mind, they'd have to be really good to make dealing with the bones worth while.

[kayak456]

if you read my thread the other day about snaggeding them at thomas point i snagged a 17.5 incher. also on tidal fish some people have caught them with bloodworms and spoons

[J.A. Veil]

I jigged one up in Eastern Bay this morning . I was jigging a 1-oz jighead and 6" BKD in 25-30 ft depth. The darn menhaden took the hook in its mouth. So much for filter-feeding.