CHUNKING FOR STRIPED BASS AND BLUEFISH
OCTOBER 2020
Why Striped Bass and Bluefish?
Striped Bass and Bluefish are the predominant predatory game fish in the North East US. Striped Bass are known for being exceptionally large, where a 50+ pound fish is a trophy. Bluefish are known for their fierce, aggressive fighting capability and being highly active feeders. You can use the chunking method to catch striped bass and bluefish.
Striped Bass are more sought after for eating with a price of $16/pound and Bluefish are less so with a price of $8/pound in the market. Striped Bass can be prepared in a variety of ways and is a firm mild tasting fish. Bluefish are a bit softer and can be slightly oily in flavor. I have found Bluefish to be quite tasty with proper preparation and will share my recipe for smoked Bluefish at the end of this article. The key to tasty bluefish is to bleed the fish quickly and keep it on ice.
With the high fishing pressure on these fish species, fisheries regulations have been strengthened in 2020. Most states in the North East have a Striped Bass have a slot limit where 1 fish can be kept daily, and that fish needs to be larger than 28” and smaller than 35”.
Bluefish do not have a size limit, but their cull limit is 3 fish per angler per day or 5 fish on a hire or party boat.
Here is a link to the current regulations for Striped Bass.
Both Striped Bass and Bluefish can be caught from boats or from the surf successfully. The choice of lures vs. bait is often discussed, but the use of fresh chunked baits is one of the most successful tactics for catching large blues and stripers.
What is Chunking?
Chunking is the general term for using cut pieces of a prey fish such as a Menhaden or Bunker as bait. Bunker are the most often used baits as they are plentiful in the bays and ocean and they are frequent forage fish for Striped Bass and Bluefish. Menhaden are best when they are fresh and not frozen as they tend to get soft and do not stay on the hook well when frozen. Bunker are an oily fish and have a strong smell that attracts game fish.
Bunker can be caught by using a weighted treble hook, casting beyond a school, and jerking the rod as you reel in. The schools can be often seen near bays, docs or along beaches. You can look for “nervous” water that appears to ripple out of sync with surroundings, or water that seems darker than the immediate surroundings.
Baits for Chunking
As mentioned above, fresh bunker/menhaden is the best bait, but it is not always available. You can also use frozen bunker, but make sure to keep them cold and you can also look to put salt on them to toughen up the skin.
Other good baits include mackerel, porgies/scup (below).
Chunking Tactics
Find a suitable fishing spot with current breaks, rock piles, reefs, piling, boulders, channel edges, shoreline structure or anywhere with decent running current. Some spots might be more productive on the incoming vs. outgoing tides but stay away from both sides of the slack tides. See my article on how to find fishing spots here. It is often best to fish the first 2 hours on the incoming or outgoing tides.
From the shore you should use a beach rod holder tube or sand spike that is strongly embedded in the sand. Once you cast the bait out, adjust the reel either with the clicker on for conventional reels or with a slightly loose drag on spinning reels. When using circle hooks (recommended), the fish will hook themselves and you do not have to rush to set the hook.
The Rig
You can use a slip weight, fish finder rig for chunking.
- Hook
- Leader (40 pound monofilament or wire is you expect to catch larger Bluefish)
- Barrel Swivel
- Sliding fish finder
- Sinker (3-6 ounces depending upon current)
How to be most successful when chunking.
- Use fresh bait. It is best to catch your own Menhaden or Bunker if possible. When using frozen bait, I suggest using mackerel vs. bunker (or a combination) as it is much sturdier on the hook.
- You can cut each bait into 4 or 5 pieces (1 to 2 inches wide)
- Hook the bait so that the hook point is clearly visible and can pull out from the bait to maximize hook sets
- Change baits every 20 minutes as fish tend to target fresher baits.
- Use the tail and other discarded baits as chum (cut them and disperse in the water as an attractant).
- Try evening or night fishing. Larger Striped Bass feed mostly at night.
Tackle for Chunking
Rod
Medium/Heavy saltwater spinning rod from 8-10ft in length. This rod must have the backbone to cast heavy weights plus the weight of the baits. Okuma Fishing Tackle CSX-S-1102MH
Reel
Medium/Heavy reel that can handle 200+ yards of 30 pound braided line. PENN Spinfisher VI Spinning Reel
Line
Sufix 832 Braid Line-600 Yards (Green, 30-Pound)
Hooks
8/0 Gamakatsu Offset Octopus Circle Hook
Wire Leader
60 pound wire leader with snap swivel
Crafting a Delicacy – Smoked Bluefish
Bluefish are typically seen as a lesser food fish due to the oily nature of their flesh. It is important to keep the fish as fresh as possible, on ice (not submerged in ice water) and prepare it properly for the best success. Smoked Bluefish is one of my favorite recipes and I hope you try it and agree.
Prepare to Smoke Fish
- 2 quarts cold water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tsp. black pepper
- 2-lb. fillet of bluefish
- Wood chips or pellets (hickory or apple)
You can use a formal smoker, or I have found a smoker tube to be successful in a gas grill. The pellets load into the tube and provide smoke for 2-4 hours at a time. You can also use any other smoker like a kettle grill with indirect heat. You need to maintain temperatures between 200 and 250.
Lizzq Smoker Tube on Amazon
Hardwood Pellets on Amazon
I have also used a Weber Kettle grill with either indirect coals and some wood chunks or use the “snake method”.
Smoke the Fish
- Clean and filet the Bluefish and remove the dark colored flesh.
- In a gallon-size resealable storage bag, mix the brine ingredients until the salt dissolves.
- Place fish fillets in the brine and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
- Pat the fish dry with paper towels and let it sit in the refrigerator on a raised wire rack to dry the surface of the fish.
- Prepare grill or smoker grates by wiping or spraying with a light coating of vegetable oil to prevent sticking.
- The times and temperatures vary quite a bit depending upon the size of the fillets.
- Smoke the fish at around 225-250°F for the first hour (It could take up to 2 hours). Check if the fish is done after the first hour and then every 30 minutes. The flesh should be golden in color, firm to the touch and slightly moist. The fish should take on a light to medium brown color on the outside.
- You could add a brushing of diluted maple syrup for a sweet taste note.
- Remove from the smoker/grill and allow the fish to cool.
- It can be either eaten “as is” or chopped and mixed with cream cheese for a fabulous bagel schmear.
Summary
You can be a more successful angler by chunking in your pursuit of Striped Bass and Bluefish. This tactic can produce fish when nothing else seems to work.
While Bluefish have a bad reputation as a fish for the table, smoked Bluefish is a delicacy in our house, and I urge you to try it.
Tight lines … Captain P.
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