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Mullet - which flies work


Starvinmarvin

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Have been reading a lot over the last few months about fly patterns, there is a lot of mention of maggot flies, are these Okey Dokeys or are they something else.

 

If there are any other flies that are known to work I would be very grateful.

 

Starvinmarvin

http://www.anglersafloat.co.uk

 

Location: Hampshire

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Hi Marvin,

in answer to your question I only have ideas. I sat and watched the mullet in the marina for hours a few weeks ago (give it a go) and they were mouthing the weed on the mooring lines and bottom of the boats so when I get my fly gear I will be trying a green type of fly, don't ask me for a pattern as I have no idea (floating). If I have a sack of bread hanging in the water I will try a slow sinking white one.

 

Leon, Chippy and a few others will be here shortly and give us some experienced advice.

 

Cheers

 

Alan

ANMC Founder Member. . www.the-lounge.org.uk/valley/

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Thanks Alan.

 

Have read that dry flies can work if the mullet are surface feeding, the only one mentioned by name is the Hawthorn which looks a little to tricky for me to try tying.

http://www.anglersafloat.co.uk

 

Location: Hampshire

Kayaks: Ocean Kayak Caper (Sunrise)

Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro

Ocean Kayak Malibu 2 XL (Sunrise)

Ocean Kayak Trident 15

Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140 Angler (Yellow)

Malibu Mini-X

 

 

A member of B.A.S.S www.ukbass.com

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I did'nt realise that you tied your own, thats a different ball game. John S is your man or Email Norrie, we have a mutual friend that is top notch at tying flys.

 

Why not give it a go yourself, what do you have to lose? Just take it easy. I am sure that if you can tie "A" fly of any description you have the basic skills so just build up on them :)

Give it go and surprise yourself :cool:

 

Alan

ANMC Founder Member. . www.the-lounge.org.uk/valley/

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Mullet usually feed on micro-organisms and algae, sucking in mud and surface scum and digesting out any food in their fantastically long digestive system.

 

They will often suck in a piece of silkweed and eject it in a lightning flash, having sucked out anything that they are interested in.

 

In fact any piece of flocculent material floating by on the current is likely to get the same treatment.

 

Where there is a source of such material; bread fed to swans, fish guts cleaned in a harbour, stuff flowing out of a sewage pipe.

 

So flies representing such flocculent material are likely to work.

 

In the summer, when rotting seaweed is floated off

the beaches by successive neap tides rising to full springs, both bass and mullet expect a feast of seaweed fly maggots amongst the drifting weed. A pattern representing such maggots is likely to work (see http://www.mikeladle.com )

 

Thin lip mullets are much more predatory than thicklips, although they aren't so big or so hard-fighting as thick lips.

 

In large shoals, they often chase the fry, and 20 fish a session might make up for their relative lack of fighting ability.

 

Traditionally a small mepps spinner with the treble removed and replaced by a single hook to 2-3 inches of mono, baited with harbour rag is used (they will often follow an unbaited spinner, but not strike, and ignore rag fished beneath a float, but the combination of spinner and rag seems to be irrisitible)

 

Wet flies representing fish fry can sometimes work.

 

Have a look at: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/authors/leon22.htm

 

Then again, mullet have a complete disregard for any rules that anglers formulate, and it's surprising what works and what doesn't on any particular day.

 

Tight Lines - leon

 

<small>[ 12. August 2004, 10:02 AM: Message edited by: Leon Roskilly ]</small>

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Starvinmarvin:

Thanks Alan.

 

Have read that dry flies can work if the mullet are surface feeding, the only one mentioned by name is the Hawthorn which looks a little to tricky for me to try tying.

In calm conditions, mullet can often be seen cruising around in small shoals sucking at the surface, puzzling onlookers as to what they are up to, as they circle around aimlessly.

 

In fact they are pre-occupied skimming the surface scum, and will studiously ignore any bait, spinners or flies, driving anglers mad as each small flotilla of oversized fish drift by.

 

Been there, done that, been driven mad with frustration!

 

Tight Lines - leon

RNLI Shoreline Member

Member of the Angling Trust

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Leon Roskilly:

Then again, mullet have a complete disregard for any rules that anglers formulate, and it's surprising what works and what doesn't on any particular day.

Good example, I have only had 2 sessions after Mullet and had 2 each time on cooked chicken :D

Pure luck

 

Alan

ANMC Founder Member. . www.the-lounge.org.uk/valley/

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I'd agree with Leons posts.

 

very tricky to catch on 'pure' flies, still a learning curve i think.

 

flies i have heard that work are : red tag, bumbles, spiders, shrimps, GRHE's, in small sizes then maggots, bread etc. with groundbait of a similar size.

 

results are very inconsistent so far. i will be trying klinkhamers, parachutes in the near future, as i am also afflicted by this terrible curse. :D

 

the most success i have heard of is by keith white in Jersey who provides the pages on chippy's site.

 

one tip - if you so manage to hook one on a fly rod it will go ballistic - let it, don't play it too hard, they have very soft mouths and the hook will pull out.

 

more like the UK's permit than bonefish to me !

www.swff.co.uk - Guernsey Saltwater Fly Fishing

 

Member of B.A.S.S. - www.ukbass.com

 

Member of NFSA www.nfsa.org.uk

 

"better to have fished and lost than never fished at all "

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guernseybass:

one tip - if you so manage to hook one on a fly rod it will go ballistic - let it, don't play it too hard, they have very soft mouths and the hook will pull out.

Er, they have very tough mouths!!

 

(I've finally plucked up the courage to use barbless hooks, mainly because their mouths are so tough it can sometimes be difficult to remove a barbed hook)

 

The reason for that old myth is that mullet can usually only be tempted using quite small hooks.

 

When your average sea angler encounters such a hard fighting and powerful fish, using a pretty stiff rod and used to hauling in more placid fish with much bigger hooks, something has to go.

 

Try fishing for carp, using small hooks and such unbalanced tackle and you'll end up losing just as many through hook pulls (come to think of it .....!)

 

Small hooks used to land such hard fighting fish need to be matched to light lines, with plenty of absorbing 'stretch', and a soft tipped rod.

 

Ideally also used with a centrepin reel to cope with those sudden power surges that frequently cause hook pulls and broken lines.

 

Oh! and a landing net to lift the fish from the water (again most sea anglers are used to lifting heavy fish out of the water on large hooks, and wonder why they lose a mullet when they try the same when using small hooks to lift a fish weighing three or four pounds).

 

the 'soft mouth' myth is a handy excuse for those who lose fish due to lack of angling skills and the use of unbalanced tackle.

 

But you do need to play mullet out fully before landing them.

 

It's a big mistake to use that period of initial confusion that mullet often display, to guide it into a waiting net too soon.

 

a) You miss out on the fun of fighting a seriously determined fish.

 

B) More importantly, when the fish wakes up and starts to struggle, it will be almost impossible to handle on shore without damaging it, and with mullet scales flying everywhere.

 

Very embarrassing for any conservation minded angler, as the fish launches itself from your grip like a torpedo to thump noisily on the deck in front of a disapproving audience!

 

Sometimes mullet can take 20 minutes or more, before they are ready for the net, and they are the only fish I know of that aren't beaten if you manage to get their head out of the water. They just roll over and dive down again!

 

Tight Lines - leon

RNLI Shoreline Member

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