Life History: During the late spring and summer the prejuvenile and juvenile live in the upper brackish estuary and the young live in the lower estuary. Throughout the summer the prejuvenile (½-¾-in.) will move out into the bay where stripers will go on feeding binges and want nothing else. In the fall (September) the menhaden begin to congregate into enormous schools and slowly make their way out to the shore to migrate south. The main sizes in these schools are 2-4-in. and 5-6-in. coming latter in the fall.
Deep bodied, bluish, greenish, grayish above silvery sides, fins have a copperish sheen. Grouped into four categories for tying: prejuvenile (½-¾-in., transparent, eyes are main feature, good luck); juvenile (slender body becoming opaque with tints of blue 1-in.); peanut or baby bunker (deep bodied, looks like a small version of adult 2-6-in.) and adult (up to 15-in.)