noob in fishing

[badboy2]

me and a friend bought our rods 2days ago and we're so excited to go the pier where they said we can catch some bluefish or stripers..well we were watchin guys catch something but we cant get any for like 4hours ..even the bunkers wont take our baits theyre just passing thru our baits..im pretty sure we are doing something wrong..our set up are pretty much the same..we 3oz weights,and we also used precut squids as bait,our hooks are around 1.5inch..2nights ago we did it on a low tide,then last night it was high tide.does it matter what kind of tide with this kind of fish?we actually throw the baits left in our bags on the water to feed the fish and they didnt even took it..[crazy] .. we need some tips .thanks guys ..
btw this is a great forum..
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[Tarpon4me]

First and foremost, welcome to the message boards.

OK, the bunker don't bite the hook, so you can rule that out. Bunker/Pogeys/Menhaden are caught most commonly with a cast net and used for bait themselves. They are pretty much the best live bait for inshore fishing there is on the east coast. Everything eats them. The hard part is keeping them alive as they aren't very tough of a fish.

What are some of the tactics you're using? Maybe we can fine tune them and help you get set up for some live bait fishing! Also, what type of rods did you buy? It's equally as important to know if you're rods and reels can even handle a larger game fish. LOL, i'd hate to give you tips for targeting bigger fish and your next post be about how your rod got torn in half or how your reel's bearings got smoked. LOL

Also, a little info on where you're fishing would help too. Sometimes the location can dictate a tweak in tactics as well. We'll have you strait before long. I look foward to hearing your fishing reports!
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[badboy2]

went out last night and as usual we didnt get any.my friend lost my snags [] so bunkers were laughin at us all night..then i got a krocodile style jig that a guy told me he uses and it didnt work..meanwhile the guy next to us caught a huge striper ..he gave me one bunker to use as bait but then the bunker died while its on my hoook..(where do u hook the bunker?)..my friend put the hook in the bunkers mouth idk if its right..we r gonna try again this sunday..im using a 6oz diamond jig with tube..im hopin to get a bluefish..and maybe we need to invest on a net or something..what other techniques do u guys used for catching the bunkers?
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[gdn443]

Here in Ct we use a weighted treble hook.They sell them at the tackle stores. Snag your bait, put it on the line with or without weight and let her go. Free lineing is what we do most here for the big ones. Try hooking behind the dorsal fin as well.
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[HunkaBunka14]

i fish in Brooklyn, and we catch live bunker to use as bait for blues, like mentioned above me try cast into the school of bunker, using a treble hook (bought at your local tackle shop) try to snag the bunker, and reel it in. then just hook the bunker onto another rod you will use for livelining, let the drag loose. and doing this you should catch some blues
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[cbw5007]

I like fishing for striped bass and blues from piers. Good baits are live eels, sandworms, and bunker heads. The bunker will not bite a hook but you can snag them with a snagging rig and then use them for bait. White Gulp and swim jigs work well near the bottom for all types of fish.