Fish bait for mullet

[Jim Murray]

Got first mullet of the season tonight

 

....on the usual bread. This year I fancy using fish bait for them. Anyone got any tips for preparing, storing and using such bait?

 

Most of my trips are short sessions so was thinking of maybe cutting fillets into hook-sized pieces and freezing in bags.

 

Jim.

[Leon Roskilly]

I've not used fish bait myself Jim, but those that I've talked to who have reckon that it's best not to leave any skin on.

 

I guess that it's that old 'flocculent' material therory that explains why they are attracted to bread.

 

(A piece of skinless fish flesh and a piece of loosely pinched look very much the same in the water).

 

As with bread, the problem would then be having something that stays on the hook, and I would reckon that fresh bait would be far superior to frozen in that respect.

 

But as I say, I haven't tried it (yet), but I'll be interested to hear how you get on.

[Norm B]

Got first mullet of the season tonight

 

....on the usual bread. This year I fancy using fish bait for them. Anyone got any tips for preparing, storing and using such bait?

 

Most of my trips are short sessions so was thinking of maybe cutting fillets into hook-sized pieces and freezing in bags.

 

Jim.

The record golden grey was caught on a piece of mackerel flesh. I've caught several mullet on mackerel, especially late in the year. It is best used with no skin attached but I did catch at least a couple on a small fillet with skin attached when fishing for bream, so it may not be that critical. A good friend of mine caught a 6lb'er with a toby lure casting to 'bass' feeding on fry, hooked fairly in the lips. So perhaps they are predators as well as scavengers and fish is a natural food for them.

[Toerag]

Norm - the pending record GG was caught on ragworm. We get quite a few on garfish strip, and yes Jim, it probably is best to cut pieces and freeze individually if you don't need many. You will find you catch unwanted garfish and mini pollack more often with fish baits.

Alderneybassman had a big mullet on mackerel fillet intended for bass once.

[AlderneyBassman]

Alderneybassman had a big mullet on mackerel fillet intended for bass once.

 

There is one mark I fish for bass that I can only use whole joey mackerel as the mullet can strip a fillet down in minutes!

They even suck at the soggy end of a mackerel head.

 

But I have had many mullet on mackerel flesh as bait, usually when shirvying with a minced fish groundbait.

As Toerag says gars and pollack are a pain but its a great way to catch bream too

Edited May 10, 2006 by AlderneyBassman

[Elton]

I caught a bloody great mullet once, down in Devon, on a great big lump of mackerel that had already caught me an eel. Could never work that one out

[ColinW]

In the Mersey the crabs will take bread, even well off the bottom, so God knows what they'd do to fish baits!

[Andrew Boyd]

On the Medway Crabs can be seen inching themselves up the jetty wall until level with a bread bait and launching themselves onto it. Poxy things.

[captain cojones]

one of my most successful baits for mullet is small bits of sardine, with the skin left on.

to make it a bit tougher and stay on the hook better, i bury the bits of sardine overnight in a bed of rough sea salt.

it does make quite a bit of difference to the toughness.

dave

[Ian Burrett]

one of the favourite local methods is to fillet a mackerel but leave the giuts and swim bladder, so that if floats. Cast the mackerel out on a spare rod with no weight and leave it floating. When the Mullet suround the mackerel cast well over the top of the floating mackerel and draw a small piece of mackerel skin with hook attached slowly past the floating mackerel.

 

I haven't tried it myself but am assured it works well