May(hem)

Atlantic menhaden have once again made their way into Long Island Sound and are finding themselves pinned in harbors and tidal rivers by striped bass and bluefish that are getting fatter by the night. This happens every year in late May and I find it hard to fish with anything else when bunker are here in impressive numbers. Snagging the prized baitfish and chunking a fresh head piece is one of the most effective methods for big bass and blues out there. Our last few trips have produced stripers in the low 20-pound class and feisty yellow-eyed demons up to 12-pounds. During a recent wave of action, we had a triple hook-up of bluefish over the 10-pound mark. Their initial drag-peeling runs and shallow water acrobatics made for some wild times, yet their razor-sharp teeth haven taken a toll on our tackle!  Hopefully the bunker schools stick around for a while and some larger stripers join the party!