Atlantic Menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus)

The Atlantic Menhaden is a saltwater fish in the herring family, Clupeidae and the genus, Brevoortia. Brevoortia does not have any useful semantics, as it is named in honor of James Carson Brevoort. Tyrannus refers to the Tyranni, rulers of ancient Rome, who notably had their food tested for poison. A menhaden specimen had a parasitic isopod living in its mouth, hence the cheeky name.

Where to Find Atlantic Menhaden

The range of Atlantic Menhaden is roughly from Nova Scotia down to Florida. They are a saltwater fish but can deal with low salinity and can be found in estuarine environments as well as off the coast in the open ocean. For most of the year, they tend to hang out in the water column near the surface of the water.

Other Names for Atlantic Menhaden

Other names people have referred to this fish as include: munnawhatteaug, American sardine, hard-head, bug-head, Bunker, Fat-back, Mossbunker, and Pogy. The small young of the year fish are known as peanuts or peanut bunker.

When to Fish for Atlantic Menhaden

To net Atlantic Menhaden from land, the best time is spring through fall. If netting from a boat it is possible to target them all year round but for some locales in winter, they might be too deep for practical purposes.

What Tackle to Use for Atlantic Menhaden

Atlantic Menhaden will not strike a lure or try to eat bait and thus cannot be caught by traditional recreational fishing means. The only way to catch them with a rod and reel is to snag them by ramming a hook into them. Outside of commercial harvest, the most common way to catch them is with the use of a cast net.

Atlantic Menhaden as Bait

Atlantic Menhaden is a popular bait for saltwater fishing. They can be used as bait while alive, freshly dead and cut into pieces, or defrosted from frozen. Live menhaden is regarded as the most effective option. Frozen menhaden is shunned by some anglers as not effective enough to be worth using.