Eels over bunkers, a fishing question!

[zimmy]

Guy I fish with has us on a boat spot with a slow pick of nice fish. It is his boat and he is primarily a bunker chunker unless Bobber or I pressure him into some maybe less productive though more engaging method. Each tide of late has produced 2 or 3 bass up to 38lbs and none below 26. But... Nothing more than 3 fish a trip in 5 trips or so. So I was thinking it might be worth at least moving around the spot and drifting it to see if we can increase the catch rate. I am not particularly experienced with fishing that way but I do know that many people fish bunker in daylight and eels at night. Anyone know why people do that? If we can get the bunker for free and the spot is loaded with bunker is there any advantage to fishing eels just because it is the middle of the night?

[scottw]

Originally Posted by zimmy

Guy I fish with has us on a boat spot with a slow pick of nice fish. It is his boat and he is primarily a bunker chunker unless Bobber or I pressure him into some maybe less productive though more engaging method. Each tide of late has produced 2 or 3 bass up to 38lbs and none below 26. But... Nothing more than 3 fish a trip in 5 trips or so. So I was thinking it might be worth at least moving around the spot and drifting it to see if we can increase the catch rate. I am not particularly experienced with fishing that way but I do know that many people fish bunker in daylight and eels at night. Anyone know why people do that? If we can get the bunker for free and the spot is loaded with bunker is there any advantage to fishing eels just because it is the middle of the night?

I'd be happy with 1 of those fish on any trip

if the spot is loaded with bunker why don'y you fish live bunker?

[redlite]

Back in the early 2000's when we primarily comm fished with eels nite and day out at Squibby and nomans we would crush. Then pogies started becoming more common and it turned to chum/ chunk or yo-yo game
Anywho, there were many instances where we were crushin fish on eels and a boat would pull up and toss a chunk of pogie and the bass would not touch an eel again. All they would eat was pogies
So my advice would both to drift it and use fresh, fresh pogies chunks
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[piemma]

About 10 years ago I was Yo-Yoing in Narr Bay with 2 other boats. It was actually the first time I Yo-Yoed. It is so deadly it should be illegal. The 2 guys I was fishing next to were Comm and had their limit of 5 fish in 15 minutes. Theses were all 20# and up.

You really can't high grade as the fish inhale the pogie and the pogie is full of lead anyway so even if you released the fish, it would probably die of lead poisoning.

[zimmy]

Originally Posted by scottw

I'd be happy with 1 of those fish on any trip

if the spot is loaded with bunker why don'y you fish live bunker?

That was sort of the question. I didn't know why I kept reading that people were live lining bunker by day and switching to eels at night. I made up lots of theories, but it didn't make sense to me.
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[zimmy]

Originally Posted by redlite

So my advice would both to drift it and use fresh, fresh pogies chunks
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Would you three way live bunker or drift with chunks? Spot is about 50' with moderate to light current.
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[zimmy]

Originally Posted by piemma

You really can't high grade as the fish inhale the pogie and the pogie is full of lead anyway so even if you released the fish, it would probably die of lead poisoning.

Yo yoing isn't an option, but wonder why/if it is better than live. Easier to manage?
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[redlite]

Originally Posted by zimmy

Yo yoing isn't an option, but wonder why/if it is better than live. Easier to manage?
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Fish don't have to chase a dead pogie
Many times we would troll pogies along back of e-islands in shallow water. Believe it or not trolling a dead twisting rolling and cartwheeling pogie would out fish a live trolled pogie 10-1
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[DZ]

The “eel only at night” thing is puzzling to say the least. I generally don’t fish from boats but 20 years ago I was invited on a day trip fishing Montauk rips for bass. One of the best skippers in the fleet. Every other boat was using diamond jigs. Our boat had a very nice bite of larger bass using three way rigged eels. It just felt strange using them at high noon. It got me to thinking about it from the surf. I would never use live eels during daylight... but would catch plenty of daylight bass on my rigged eels! So why does it feel “weird” using live eels in daylight. I’ve never been able to figure it out.
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[Got Stripers]

I used to have great success drifting live eels on and around the ledges between Scituate and Cohasset during the day. Then I went to plastic imitations and never looked back. But when Boston and Hingham harbors filled with bunker schools in the 80’s I loved using my trolling motor to slowly drag a live bunker around. Large gator blues around necessitated 60#wire to treble through nose and I’d run wire off that hook to a smaller treble stinger near the tail. Was fun to watch the bunker start freeking out and the anticipation of what was waking behind it made it a hoot.

[Rockfish9]

I don't fish during the day alot, when I do its either live mackerel or pogies, I always keep a dead one rigged and ready to cast, some days they just want them dead, and just play with the livie... when it comes to matching the " hatch " I've always believed in most cases that something different thrown at them gets their attention quicker, mainly because anything different in nature doesn't last long ,as far as eels during the day.time of year and water depth seems to play a role, I've done well in the fall using live eels under the bright sun, but in my experience, eels don't hold the attraction during daylight hours most days they do at night, deep water shoals or fast water seems to be the exception...for me, I hate the sun, hate crowds and hate being seen... must be why I fish at night.
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[JohnR]

I remember back in the day when the Vineyard live herring Crew would go ballistic because they were hammering fish on live buckeyes and then the RI/BuzzBay boats would show up with live bunker and turn the Live Herring bite off like a switch.

Live Bunker > all else perhaps.

[zimmy]

Well given that I am not the captain, we spent another tide at anchor with chunks, but this time the couple fish were measured in inches instead of pounds. It certainly is an uncomplicated way to fish and I have to remind myself it is hanging out on a boat sipping a beer with a shot at good fish, but it always leaves me itching for a more active and engaging method.
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[RIROCKHOUND]

Originally Posted by zimmy

Well given that I am not the captain, we spent another tide at anchor with chunks, but this time the couple fish were measured in inches instead of pounds. It certainly is an uncomplicated way to fish and I have to remind myself it is hanging out on a boat sipping a beer with a shot at good fish, but it always leaves me itching for a more active and engaging method.
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Drop a jig. Fish it slow near the bottom. Keep yourself busy while you wait....

[Clammer]

Boss man .not live …...far from it ><><>

[redlite]

Originally Posted by zimmy

Well given that I am not the captain, we spent another tide at anchor with chunks, but this time the couple fish were measured in inches instead of pounds. It certainly is an uncomplicated way to fish and I have to remind myself it is hanging out on a boat sipping a beer with a shot at good fish, but it always leaves me itching for a more active and engaging method.
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If u anchored up hope u chummin like a mofo. We used to go with a 150qt cooler full of fresh, fresh pogies. Anchor up and chum for a half hour before we would fish. Then it was a hand full of little chum with a 5/0 live bait hook in a piece and selectively chose fish out of the slick by slamming the hand full off the water to get fish's attention and watch as it would swing around with gill plates flared and inhale it all. Pretty cool sight. Then again this was all during day time
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[Clammer]

always a exception >Denis & I had a good bite going on keeper bass [daylight ] he started chumming .I told him not to .. he kept throwing some over the side ,,,,,, the bite switched to blues & never came back ><>

[Higgie]

Still have a spot on the canal during certain tides in the summer that right around a certain time I can drum up really nice fish with a live eel during the day it’s literally a 15 min window but almost a guarantee
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[zimmy]

Originally Posted by redlite

If u anchored up hope u chummin like a mofo. We used to go with a 150qt cooler full of fresh, fresh pogies. Anchor up and chum for a half hour before we would fish. Then it was a hand full of little chum with a 5/0 live bait hook in a piece and selectively chose fish out of the slick by slamming the hand full off the water to get fish's attention and watch as it would swing around with gill plates flared and inhale it all. Pretty cool sight. Then again this was all during day time
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We chum sort of but not like that. maybe a bunkers worth to start and then the spent pieces when changing out to fresh baits. maybe need to kick it up a bit

[piemma]

Originally Posted by redlite

Fish don't have to chase a dead pogie
Many times we would troll pogies along back of e-islands in shallow water. Believe it or not trolling a dead twisting rolling and cartwheeling pogie would out fish a live trolled pogie 10-1
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Mike, back in the day "he who cannot be mentioned" and I found the same thing. I was live lining one morning and Billy was out fishing me by pulling dead ones.

[MAKAI]

Trolling butterflied herring was lethal back in my “ute”.
Always fished eels day and night too.

[Ed B]

I can't add anything as to what's the best bait or when or why, but I will say this. Compared to other baits, eels are easy to get, easy to keep, easy to cast, easy to fish, last a long time, and work live, dead or rigged. Not many other baits that collectively you can say all that about. If I want to use bait, they're pretty much perfect for a lazy bum like me.

[Got Stripers]

Originally Posted by Ed B

I can't add anything as to what's the best bait or when or why, but I will say this. Compared to other baits, eels are easy to get, easy to keep, easy to cast, easy to fish, last a long time, and work live, dead or rigged. Not many other baits that collectively you can say all that about. If I want to use bait, they're pretty much perfect for a lazy bum like me.

Plastic, easy to keep, easy to cast, lasts forever, works almost as good as bait and low comparative costs and if you forget you left some in the boat, truck or cellar live-well after the pump failed no smell!

[wdmso]

Timely post I need to add yo yo to my bag of tricks ... because as you can see by my fish finder I can drop a live pogie 3 way and not get a sniff .. and Ive fished the whole tide ..

was thinking eels to switch it up ?

eels at night off the beach cant be beat

[RIROCKHOUND]

Originally Posted by wdmso

Timely post I need to add yo yo to my bag of tricks ... because as you can see by my fish finder I can drop a live pogie 3 way and not get a sniff .. and Ive fished the whole tide ..

was thinking eels to switch it up ?

eels at night off the beach cant be beat

Did you try chunks? A pogie head drifted down there might do the trick...
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[Clammer]

was anyone else catching those fish wayne ……...

[zimmy]

Could be a school of bait, no?
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[Got Stripers]

Originally Posted by wdmso

Timely post I need to add yo yo to my bag of tricks ... because as you can see by my fish finder I can drop a live pogie 3 way and not get a sniff .. and Ive fished the whole tide ..

was thinking eels to switch it up ?

eels at night off the beach cant be beat

Oh I’d love to be there, vertical jig big plastic on heavy jig heads, I’d bet my life I could get a reaction strike.

[Got Stripers]

Originally Posted by zimmy

Could be a school of bait, no?
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Those marks look too long to be bait, if they are you would need a Jurassic size bait hook to live line one.

[Guppy]

Originally Posted by wdmso

Timely post I need to add yo yo to my bag of tricks ... because as you can see by my fish finder I can drop a live pogie 3 way and not get a sniff .. and Ive fished the whole tide ..

was thinking eels to switch it up ?

eels at night off the beach cant be beat

Wow, water temp 69 degrees?