Mullet watch 2005

[sam-cox]

20lb mullet, no way bigest i have seen is 11.5llb. I belive it possable for mullet to reach 15lb.

Dont big old mullet look prreastoric?

[Jim Gibbinson]

Just to put things in perspective: catch a 7lb+ mullet from the mainland, and there's every likelihood it will fall in the top-ten for that year. Catch one of 8lb+ and it will almost certainly make the top three or four.

 

Bear in mind, too, that some big fish are weighed, shall we say, a tad optimistically...

 

Lots of talk of 10lb+ fish, but most of it is just that - talk.

[n4lly]

Just looked these up...

 

MULLET (Thick-lipped Grey) (Chelon labrosus)

B 10 1 0 4 564 1952 P C Libby, Portland, Dorset

S 14 2 12 6 427 1979 R S Gifford, The Leys, Aberthaw, Glamorgan

MULLET (Thin-lipped Grey) (Liza ramada)

B 5 15 0 2 693 1991 Mrs A Copley, R Medway, Dartford, Kent

S 7 0 0 3 175 1991 N Mableson, at Saltside, Oulton Broad

[Jim Gibbinson]

The 14-2 and 12-6, 1979 fish were the landlocked sea-lagoon fish I mentioned earlier. Remarkable specimens, but considering the circumstances, how representative are they? The 14-2 I believe holds the record - but again, considering the cirumstances there are arguments as to whether it qualifies.

 

The 1991 thinlips (5-15 and 7-03, to which we can add a 2004 fish of 6+ from Sussex) are absolutely huge thinlips. Not wishing to rain on anyone's parade here, but I'd be intrigued to know more regarding their identification. The Sussex fish (from the Brede or Tillingham, can't remember which) was identified as a thinlip, according to reports, because "only thinlips have ever been known to enter the river." I may be doing someone a disservice here, but circumstantial identification such as that does leave room for doubt.

[Guest sslatter]

Jim- I had two thins of 5lb 6oz and 5lb 0oz during the season before last, both properly identified by me. I don't think the 5lb 15oz thinlip is that much of a fluke, but the 7-pounder is going some.

 

As for landlocked fish, I'm off soon to the south of France, to an area of disused man-made inland lagoons (one 20 kilometers long), which are known for their large mullet. I have a suspicion that some of the big ones will be Mugil Cephalus, but we'll see.

[n4lly]

To give an idea of what a 12lb'er looks like...

 

[Jim Gibbinson]

Any chance of more details please, n4lly?

 

It's difficult to be certain because the fish is dead and a certain amount of distortion looks as though it might have occurred, but at first glance I wouldn't have identified it as a thick-lip (Chelon labrosus).

 

Be most interested to hear how you get on in France, Graham. They're a fine pair of thins you had season before last - and with someone of your experience there's no doubt regarding identification. I'm targeting thins as well as thicks this forthcoming season - no great expectations as regards size, though, I doubt that I've seen Medway thins as large as 4lb.

[Leon Roskilly]

The thinlip Boat Record of 5lb 15oz came out of the Medway Jim

 

See:

 

http://www.nfsa.org.uk/ntcg/brfc/record_list.htm

 

Tight Lines - leon

[Snatcher]

Nice fish bet it fought like a demon

[Jim Gibbinson]

Trouble with that Medway thinlip, Leon, is that it came from the Medway at Dartford...

 

Now, I don't claim any specialist knowledge of regional geography, but I always thought Dartford was on the Thames!

 

From Confused of Rochester.