Outfit for mullet on the fly

[Jim Murray]

Having targetted mullet on bait for the last few years have decided to try the fly rod this year. As my current pike fly rod is a 8-9 wt I feel it's too heavy so would like to invest in an outfit specifically for the mullet.

 

Has anyone tried it & if so what rod/reel would you recommend? I'll mostly be fishing rivers & lagoons, not the open sea.

 

Current thoughts are maybe a 4/5 wt. rod & floating line. As for reel was thinking of this:--

 

http://lochsidetackle.co.uk/fly-reels-28/s...y-reel-216.html

 

as it's saltwater proof

[scottishflyfisher]

probably the hardest kind of fly fishing you can do in my opinion , but when you get it right wow our own version of bonefish , only advice i can say is use fluro carbon leaders , as to flies bread flies , maggot imitations do well .

 

rod wise i use 9wgts with floating lines , but these fish can be frustratingly hard to catch

 

best of luck

[Newt]

Jim - one of the old guys (well, Leon, Den, and Vagabond ARE all older than I ) have posted about doing exactly what you are asking about. I'm too lazy to search to see which one but since none routinely read this forum, you might try a PM to each of them to see if they will chime in on the topic.

[Vagabond]

Have just done a search for what I have posted in the past - here is one

 

I have had various species of mullet on fly from a number of places round the world. Tasmania, Texas, Canaries, Isle of Arran as well as in Sussex.

 

I usually start with a size 14 pheasant tail, which as far as I am concerned, imitates a tiny brown shrimp...or anything alive of that size shape and colour. That succeeds sometimes, as does a peach doll in locations where there are maggots in piles of rotting seaweed.

 

Plenty of times I have had no response, but I have found that either the mullet will go for the fly in the first half-dozen casts or not at all. I don't persist in trying for too long when they have refused several casts.

 

Thinking about the successes, most of those on PT have been in very small estuaries on the ebb tide, so the suggestion of nymphs being washed out of a small stream may have some substance.

 

Have also tried gammarid imitations, but these have only worked in one location on thin-lipped mullet.

 

Each season I resolve to spend more time after mullet with fly - the results when you hook one on fly tackle are spectacular.

 

At the end of each season I wish I had stuck to my resolve.

 

... so many sorts of fishing...only one lifetime.

 

The question asked on this thread was about a suitable outfit.

I use a #5 outfit. 9ft rod, double-tapered floating line, leader of about 12 ft, 4 lb BS tippett

Rinse your gear in fresh water after each session.

 

If you flyfish on the UK mainland, for thicks or thins, don't expect to catch many !

If you really want to increase your chances to catch UK mullet on fly, go south young man (warmer water = a bit more chance).

 

If you go even farther south - say to the Canaries, you will come across the Striped Mullet Mugil cephalus which is much easier to catch on fly.

 

Good luck!

[Moggy]

I've used my Hardy 8-9 when (Unsuccessfully) fishing for mullet here in Denmark. In my local harbour. I've always figured that if I'm to have a chance of having some sort of control over these muscular monsters, a 4-5 might be a disadvantage. But never having connected with one yet, this is but theory!

 

When I was sailing Brittany a few years ago, I did observe large shoals of fair-sized fish cruising the harbours, notably in St Malo Yacht harbour, depite a group of our beret-wearing cousins casting lies decorated with 9-10 triples, "ripping" for them.

Edited June 5, 2009 by Moggy

[Jim Murray]

The question asked on this thread was about a suitable outfit.

I use a #5 outfit. 9ft rod, double-tapered floating line, leader of about 12 ft, 4 lb BS tippett

Rinse your gear in fresh water after each session.

 

Thanks, that's roughly what I was thinking of, though wasn't sure whether to go DT or WF line. Main reason I want to try it is to get a better fight out of them - many fish I hook on float tackle tend to not fight very well. I hope on fly they will. Hence I won't be proud about using bread flies, etc. if necessary.

 

Plus many of my waters are snag-free so hopefully won't be a need to go heavier than a 5 weight outfit.

[Jim Murray]

When I was sailing Brittany a few years ago, I did observe large shoals of fair-sized fish cruising the harbours, notably in St Malo Yacht harbour, depite a group of our beret-wearing cousins casting lies decorated with 9-10 triples, "ripping" for them.

 

Now that is interesting. A friend has had large mullet from the South coast of Brittany, did you spot any on that side?

[Moggy]

Now that is interesting. A friend has had large mullet from the South coast of Brittany, did you spot any on that side?

Yep...Brest had a fair few and our trip took us all the way down to Lorient...there were mullet all the way...not only large shoals...large individuals too! Took my canal tackle and took a fair few on bread flake...what a gas! lost more than I landed but the ones I landed were in fine fettle and "gifted" to locals who took them with pleasure! Many an Armagnac was earned that way.

[Jim Murray]

Yep...Brest had a fair few and our trip took us all the way down to Lorient...there were mullet all the way...not only large shoals...large individuals too! Took my canal tackle and took a fair few on bread flake...what a gas! lost more than I landed but the ones I landed were in fine fettle and "gifted" to locals who took them with pleasure! Many an Armagnac was earned that way.

 

Sounds fab. Have heard of double figure fish there, were any that big?

[Vagabond]

wasn't sure whether to go DT or WF line. .

 

As I fish mainly estuaries , and small ones at that, I get very close to the fish, so accuracy and presentation with not too much splash is paramount, hence DT.

 

If I were fishing the open sea or a big estuary, wher distance is more important, then I might use WF

Edited June 7, 2009 by Vagabond