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Mullet

Paul Hiom

Paul Hiom

Senior Member
Hi all,

Anyone know of any good spots for mullet nr coverack or st keverne on the lizard as i'm heading down that way for a couple of weeks in august. The helford river looks promising, but ive never fished it.

Ive never caught a mullet and have always wanted to have a proper go for them. Any advice would therefore be very welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Paul
 
A former girlfriend's parents moved to Gweek, then Helston then finally Mullion in the late 1970s, so.... The Helford River (very posh) certainly holds mullet; I took them on a 12 or 13ft Barbel Trotter (like a Power Float today), centrepin or fixed-spool, 5 or 6lb line (do NOT go lighter, or you will be broken - amazing fighters and runners, mullet) and floatfished bread flake. Feed with breadmash. Look for mullet shoals during lower stages of the tide - often clearly visible or just surface-priming or bow-waving. Great fish. Good luck.
 
Exactly as Paul said. Few other tips, off the top of my head.

Think trotting for barbel, but hope for mullet instead. They (in common with a lot of other fish) have the unpleasant habit of hanging around sewer outlets, so if there are any of those (For instance, hotels on river banks, with piped outlets on the river bed), location is solved :D In muddy creeks harbour rag worms are a great bait as well. On most rivers the mullet run in with the tide, and out with the retreating tide. Fishing in/near marinas, especially those with residential house boats, can be good, and the fish are sometimes there at any state of the tide.

They are, as Paul said, POWERFUL fish. A three or four pounder will take your breath away!

Good luck.

Cheers, Dave.
 
Hello Paul

Once you catch your first you`ll wonder why you`ve never fished for them before and you`ll definitely be planning another session, they are stunning fighters and can be absolutely enthralling to try and catch.

A couple of tips; if you`re fishing bread flake as hook bait, try a long shanked hook with the flake pinched close to the eye. They tend to nibble the hookbait instead of wolfing it down and a hookbait presented in this way has helped me to a better ratio of bites to hooked fish.

Also if you`re trotting the swim, don`t forget to hold back during the trot as they often take as the bait swings up off the bottom.

"Grandma and sucked eggs" probably, but I envy you as I`ve just returned from a week mullet bashing on the Frome at Wareham and would love to be back at them as soon as possible.

Mic
 
Thanks guys, wasnt expecting too much of a response, so very grateful. I was thinking about taking two rods, my old greys barbel prodigy for a heavier set up and drennan carp waggler for trotting. If trotting then i suppose an avon float set up should be suffice? Am i right in thinking that bread is best fished enveloped with hook inside; i remember watching an episode with matt h and mick b where a local mullet specialist (cant remember his name, but he has fished with henry gilbey also) kind of wrapped the hook almost in a pasty shape and it seemed to make a difference in setting the hook? Just trying to get an angle on the best set up.

cheers

Paul
 
Standard Avon-type floats are fine, Paul (though, on rather more than one occasion I really nailed western Welsh mullet with Billy Lane early Waggler-type (Ducker? Dart?) floats, and, years later, real bottom-ballasted Wagglers, at LONG range, allowing the flake to drop slowly on the edge of massed fish. Fold your flake well above the hook eye (however good you are at Domhofs on spades, mullet will find a way of popping them), leaving plenty of point showing. In the past, I painted my hooks matt white, and more lately have gone for silver hooks.

One last point, NEVER try and stop or hold a mullet - you will find, somehow, they have a way of breaking you off.
 
Paul,

Thanks very much for the info, hope i can put it to good use. Actually found a site with restored 70s caravans which could be interesting. Not too far from the creeks at helford and st anthony, so really looking forward to having a go at the mullet in some nice surroundings. Like the idea of bread flake dropping through the water column under a waggler/dart. Think i even have a book by Billy Lane/Colin Graham with an illustration of the old Billy Lane set up, could be fun.

cheers

Paul
 
Talking of Mullet lads, does anybody out there fish for them on the lower Thames around the Erith/Dartford area or perhaps the Medway near Rochester...I've been promising myself a bash for them for a few summers but don't know if it's viable ! ?
 
Was peering into Christchurch harbour last weekend in the hope of spotting a mullet or two when a small shoal appeared and started nicking the bread from beneath the swans. Problem was, I'm 99% sure that they were good size chub, not mullet. Pretty suprising to see chub so far downstream in the 'brine'.
 
Paul,

If you end up on rocky outcrops with clear water in front of you, keep a look out for shoals of mullet there too. Often they cruise around the shore as the tide rises and will keep going back to the same spots. Also dont rule out floating bread either!

As Mic said, once you catch one you'll wonder why you fish for anything else! Even if they're only this big...
Mullet.jpg


Cheers
Adam
 
Now Adam, that really is a thing of beauty. I had a barbel last season of about 6 or 8 ounces (and no! it wasn`t my best of the season before you ask) and was gobsmacked by it, minature perfection.

Mic
 
Been reading several articles on-line and checked out the national mullet club gallery; some lovely fish. But, why do i get a sense of impending doom? I dont think i'm gonna have an easy time of it somehow. ;)
 
Mic, the small ones are always the best!

Paul, it can be so frustrating, its like fishing for really clever carp!

Cheers
Adam
 
Had a go for a few mullet on the river Wey in Weymouth last week. Didn't manage to catch one but I did suffer a hook pull after hooking one, which, strangely enough, I was quite happy with!!

Saw some absolute monsters down there too. Am planning another trip for one evening later this week (will be down that way for work).

Stu
 
It is indeed. It's looking like round two is going to be tomorrow evening. I'm really looking forward to it! To continue the boxing metaphor, I'm sure I'll take another beating, but it's such an absorbing, exciting style of fishing I don't really care!!
 
Paul

For me it`s a rare treat to be able to see what I`m fishing for ( I spend most of my time hunting chub and barbel on the Thames and various tribs ). Mullet feeding habits, often have to be seen to be believed, they can be unbelievably frustrating but the joy when you actually outwit one, hook it,then manage to land it after a fight that generally will take your breath away with its dogged stamina and blistering speed will put a lot of other fish in their place.

I`ve had them to 6lb6oz but have seen fish at least 3lb bigger and would love to be momentarily attatched to something of that stamp.

Enjoy!

Mic
 
Mic,

I'll be pleased just to hook and land any sized mullet, but it would be nice to get a fish of a couple of pounds or more. Should be able to sneak away from the family for two or three sessions. ;)

Paul
 
They can be extremely frustrating. Remember spending lots of my holiday(s) near to Milford Haven fishing for them. Was able to watch them from the place we were staying - so could be at the location in a matter of minutes. Tried most things but caught in the end on a harbour ragworm on a size 12 - trotted on a flooding tide, when I had actually given up trying hard.
Hard fighting fish.
Best of luck.
Cheers
Bob
 
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