Mullet watch 2005

[Leon Roskilly]

I've hooked the same fish twice in the same session, and landed it the day after.

 

(It got named 'Persistant Leon' by the anglers I was fishing with!)

 

We identified it as the same fish by its behaviour, and by the way that it fought, which was distinctive, though I guess that it could have been different fish, but I don't think so.

 

Tight Lines - leon

[john frum]

Hi folks. I've just had two sessions trying to catch them in the local river - there are multitudes about at present and the neaps make it very comfortable fishing. Used bread float fished on a 12/10. Many bites, no hookups. But I will persist.

 

I've also been advised to try spinning - using a bubble float for range - with a Mepps type lure (white blade, single hook) baited with harbour rag. The guy who gave the tip has caught a lot of mullet by the technique. My questions are, will they take without the worm? & is there any likelihood of an earthworm being effective? Getting the rag isn't always convenient or even possible.

[WeymouthSean]

Thanks for that Leon and Andrew I must admit the first time I hooked that fish it took my hook so hopefully if I do finally get it in it will have that other T6 raptor still in its chops for identifiaction purposes!

 

Had a couple of people mail me back about fishing down here at Weymouth. Might have to become a mullet scout and start the first Mullet fishing holidays down here on the English Riveria! Now that would be a cool job!

[WeymouthSean]

John that technique will usually only work when you are targeting the thin lips.

[WeymouthSean]

I suggest you keep to using the bread method for the better fighting bigger thick lipped mullet that are probably mouthing your bait! It sounds as though you are getting enough bites and are just not striking hard enough or at the right time. You really have to make sure you mend your line so you are always totally on that float and hit the fish immediately that float shoots down. In my experience wide gap hooks seem to give you a better chance of hook ups!

[Snatcher]

Was up the Mull of Galloway at the weekend popping for bass and I was surrounded by mullet. They were splashing around between me and the beach. They looked on average 2lbish. Some were virtually on the beach following in the flooding tide. I am back up shortly for a weeks holiday so I will target them a couple of times. I fancy trying a small white dry fly. Will catty in some bread first then cast amongst it. Thinking about supergluing a small bit of polystyrene to a no 14 hook to imatate a bit of floating bread! Anyone flyfish for them?

[WeymouthSean]

All I would say about that Snatcher is that the mullet always seem to mouth the bait first and if it isn't real they normally reject it striaght away. I have seen it many times in the harbour when white feathers and small white objects are attacked by the mullet but left well alone once realising what it is.

 

Your only hope I think is to try and tie some white bread to a hook. A bit brutual I know but would be your only real chance of success and it will still be hard even then!

[Tony U]

Snatcher

I have caught mullet in Spain in the Delta d'Ebre, using the method you describe and a White Moth or a California Coachman as the fly; I am sure a bread fly will take them but you will have to get the fish into a feeding frenzy on the bread.

[Snatcher]

Cheers lads,looks like I might have to prebait for a few days before the event to get them "conditioned"to the bread.

Off the beach at Drummore where my caravan is the mullet do not come across bread at all so it will be a challenge right enough.

 

Anyone tried this artificial bread I have read about. It has the consistancy of bread but is much tougher and will not cast off the hook readily.

 

How about prebaiting with sweetcorn and then trying atificial sweetcorn on the end of the flyline. Anyone tried this method?

[Leon Roskilly]

Snatcher, mullet often feed as you describe when the tide is picking up rotting sea weed full of maggot flies.

 

Is that the case?

 

When they are feeding on maggot, fly fishing with a fly resembling a maggot can apparently work well.

 

See links to fly fishing for mullet (and lots of other information) at: Mullet FAQs

 

There are some chapters on fishing for mullet feeding on maggot at: Operation Sea Angler

 

Everyone that I know, that has tried artificial bread for mullet, have reported back that the mullet aren't fooled. It may look similar enough to us, but mullet have different senses to ours and it probably looks/smells/sounds nothing like the real stuff to them (which isn't a natural food for them anyway!)

 

Tight Lines - leon

 

[ 19. July 2005, 01:21 PM: Message edited by: Leon Roskilly ]