# Alewife Is Not Same as Bunker



## Green Cart (May 14, 2002)

I just did a quick search. Alewife is same as herring while menhaden is same as bunker.


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## Flounda (Sep 9, 2001)

You are absolutely right, and definitely alewives work better on stripers than menhaden.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

Like I said fresh LY's are the ticket, call them what you want. I know what works for me. LY's are more oily than menhaden. Menhaden look like baby tarpon and LY's have the shape of a fooball (mud shad). Most of the boat guys use the two terms interchangeably but you're absolutely right, there is a difference. Just make sure when you buy them the guy that's selling them knows the difference.

Catman. 








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## Green Cart (May 14, 2002)

*Who Care*

Yeah! As long as you know what bait fish you want, it is the right one. The terms are interchangeable and vary from location to location so let us not get our knickers up.


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## fishingrod (May 3, 2004)

Alewife if different then the Blueback Herring. However, all of these fish are in the same family along with American, Hickory and Gizzard shad.

Alewife - Max size 15 inches
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/cblife/fish/alewife.html

Blueback Herring - Max size 15 inches
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/cblife/fish/blueback_herring.html

Menhaden aka Bunker - Max size 7-8 inches.
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/cblife/fish/atl_menhaden.html


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## Guest (Jun 28, 2005)

You're right GC and I think only Maryland calls Bunker Alewife and I don't know why. I ran into this the first time when I was buying bait at a shop in MD and asked for bunker and all they said they had was alewife. After footsing around the bush in that conversation, we finally figured out what each of us meant. 

But yeah, alewife is different from bunker/manheaden.


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

Just like most of the old timers on the Bay (in MD anyway) call cow nose rays "skates"


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