Mesmerising

nthclare

I was fishing for mullet last night, caught a huge one took a while to play it out.
Was using 6lbs mainline and 4lbs fleurocarbon on the hook length.

I released the fish it was hard to get her to recover, so she was going sideways a bit, but eventually swam off...

The next thing another mullet came over and swam beside her, keeping her upright until she was fit enough to swim with the shoal.

I can understand how clever they are....

a148pro

I posted here before about seeing greeks fishing for grey mullet by keeping a live one tied on a line in the shallows which would attract another in, then they'd throw a net over the second one. Must be quite a social fish.

nthclare

a148pro wrote: »

I posted here before about seeing greeks fishing for grey mullet by keeping a live one tied on a line in the shallows which would attract another in, then they'd throw a net over the second one. Must be quite a social fish.

Definitely a social fish, you can see them flicking tails at one another and showing who's the more alpha fish.

They also know the difference between which bait to avoid, I find 4lbs fleuro carbon the best for hook lengths, very light but effective.

Mullet are supposed to be very tasty on a barbeque....

xyz123

Mind if I ask what technique you were using for the mullet? Float with bread? Any advice appreciated.

a148pro

Red mullet certainly quite tasty, unusual, strong flavour. The suspicion has always been irish mullet sustain themselves on a diet of ****e in harbours so would be less willing to try that. Is that true though?

.red.

a148pro wrote: »

Red mullet certainly quite tasty, unusual, strong flavour. The suspicion has always been irish mullet sustain themselves on a diet of ****e in harbours so would be less willing to try that. Is that true though?

Yep, and supposedly fish caught in small estuaries can taste quite muddy, not just mullet either.
Mullet caught from open beaches are meant to taste nice tho.

Ipso

I used to try to catch them when I was younger at a local pier, never could. Everyone said that their mouths were very soft and it was hard to set the hook.
Fly Fishing and Fly Tying had an article a few years back on mullet fishing, the author claimed that mullet actually had very hard mouths.
What are peoples experience with this?

nthclare

xyz123 wrote: »

Mind if I ask what technique you were using for the mullet? Float with bread? Any advice appreciated.

I got a bucket, a few old frozen whole mackerel chopped up, then added cheap white bread.....smathered in codliver oil...

Then I got a spoon and stirred it all up into a chum, now and again I'd throw some into a shoal drive them into a frenzy.
They don't touch it for a while, then maybe 5 minutes later they adjust,start sucking it from the surface.
I started to use floating bread had a few takes,then I used a sliver of mackerel on a size 12 hook, and small bubble float.
4lbs fleuro carbon, Leede 12ft concept coarse rod and match reel.

In the finish they took the mackerel bait...

Polaroid sunglasses are a must, the very second they suck it in strike, use light braid as mainline for instantaneous strikes with the light fleurocarbon.

xyz123

Thanks, planning to try for them next week. Their reputation as being uncatchable has put me off, but nothing like a challenge...

xyz123

Thanks, planning to try for them next week. Their reputation as being uncatchable has put me off, but nothing like a challenge...

gw80

Just an observation here, I was watching mullet in a river that was literally just a stones throw from the sea, and one in particular caught my attention,
In the river there was clumps of long green seaweed scattered around and this one mullet,id say about 2lbs kept swimming into the clumps,usually straight to the centre of the seaweed near the base, couldn't see exactly what it was feeding on but it was definitely chewing on somthing when it pulled its head out of the clump,
Anyone have an idea what it was feeding on?. Shrimp?snails?

nthclare

Probably maggots or some minute crustaceans.....