Mullet aren't that great!

A little bit of a rant here lads.

Recently on the forum, it seems that Mullet are becoming more and more popular. This isn't really any big deal, but it does seem to encorage certain ideas about them that aren't very accurate in my view.

Number one, the idea that mullet are hard to catch. This is total crap. Just like any other fish, they have times when they feed and times when they don't feed. The whole idea that mullet are hard to catch is purely from people fishing at the wrong time, in the wrong place with the wrong bait. Bread is a good bait for mullet, but only if they are used to it. After all, you wouldn't try to catch a fish that fed exclusively on shrimp with a head of mackerel would you? Just as fly anglers say, you have to 'match the hatch'. When you get the time, place and bait right, they are almost stupidly easy to get.

Number two, the idea that mullet are hard fighters. This isn't that untrue, lots of mullet do fight very well indeed. But a large number of the fish i have caught(more than half) have been sort of lazy, head shaking, dead weight on the end of the line kind of fish. Not the sort of thing that gets your heart racing.

Only two points there, but i feel they are the two most common misconceptions.

Don't get me wrong, mullet are addictive. Much like bass, you get hooked(pardon the pun) on catching them. But i think that there is this air of mystique about them that they don't really deserve. No doubt people will disagree with me, but so what, i am safe in the knowledge that i have probably caught more mullet than you anyway.

Rant over

Alex

A little bit of a rant here lads.

Recently on the forum, it seems that Mullet are becoming more and more popular. This isn't really any big deal, but it does seem to encorage certain ideas about them that aren't very accurate in my view.

Number one, the idea that mullet are hard to catch. This is total crap. Just like any other fish, they have times when they feed and times when they don't feed. The whole idea that mullet are hard to catch is purely from people fishing at the wrong time, in the wrong place with the wrong bait. Bread is a good bait for mullet, but only if they are used to it. After all, you wouldn't try to catch a fish that fed exclusively on shrimp with a head of mackerel would you? Just as fly anglers say, you have to 'match the hatch'. When you get the time, place and bait right, they are almost stupidly easy to get.

Number two, the idea that mullet are hard fighters. This isn't that untrue, lots of mullet do fight very well indeed. But a large number of the fish i have caught(more than half) have been sort of lazy, head shaking, dead weight on the end of the line kind of fish. Not the sort of thing that gets your heart racing.

Only two points there, but i feel they are the two most common misconceptions.

Don't get me wrong, mullet are addictive. Much like Bass, you get hooked(pardon the pun) on catching them. But i think that there is this air of mystique about them that they don't really deserve. No doubt people will disagree with me, but so what, i am safe in the knowledge that i have probably caught more mullet than you anyway.

Rant over

Alex

hi man,i doubt you have more mullet than alot of guys on here but any way i have to say that your talking complete rubbish.

firstly mullet are quite hard to catch due to their feeding habits,small mouth and nervous disposition.
even though they may enter a flooding harbour to feed on offal they can be turned onto bread with some patience.

secondly mullet are very hard fighters on the right gear,(maybe you use a 30-50lb boat rod and 7000 reel??)but as they get larger say over 5lb or so they can seem lazy much the same as bass and seatrout but i think this is due to them taking in too much water whilst being retrieved with their mouth open .

anyway, i think you just want to start a row for the crack.....either that or your just brain farting.

i have found them hard to catch, and have never got one yet,

have to agree with alex here i first started fly fishing for mullet about 16 or 17 years ago and caught plenty and still do any time i want, as for hard fighters i like to use light tackle 4 weight fly rod 4lbs line so any fish over a pound is going to give a scrap .Has anyone caught a salmon on 4 lbs line i can tell you they give a much better scrap than any mullet much more endurance than an over weight over hyped fish.My brother caught 11 one night in bad conditions loads of wind no fish to be seen on the surface and he used a nymph 11 MULLET 2 HOURS FISHING NOT A HARD FISH TO CATCH.

Captain, I doubt if many posters on SAI have caught as many mullet as the little rosbiff. Not saying he's the guy who's caught the most or is the best at it, but he's one of the posters on here that I'd listen to carefully for tips and hints when mullet are being caught.

Aex, I reckon it's a good thing mullet are getting this reputation. I'd love to see them as popular and fished for as much as Bass. So popular in fact that they get the same degree of protection as Bass.

The comparason to Bass fishing is excellent. You find on here anglers desperate to catch one and others that are over the moon that they've finaly caught one. Yet you also have anglers who can catch them seemingly on a whim. Ask them their secrets and they'll tell you it's all about understanding the fish, it's environment, habits and habitat. It's the range of influences that dictate whether fish are there or not, are feeding or not or can be induced into taking a hook or not.

And that's the joy of angling, be it whatever fish you target. Not the scrap, as fun as that is. It's about mastering the skills and watercraft.

i got my 1st one yesterday. was targeting something else without sucess. there was loads of mullet around and i decided to have a half arsed crack at them. i had 20lb braid on, attached to 10lb fluro, attached to 6lb mono . i had tiny fresh water hooks on baited with 2 peeled crab legs on a 15-50g lure rod.
was gettin nothin when bang. something went off like stink. after a few spirited little runs i got it in. he was less than a lb i'd say but a good little scrapper all the same.
was it hard to catch?? dunno. there was hundreds of them around and all i got was 1, but like i said. it really was a half arsed attempt at them.
did it fight hard? for a fish so small it did and cant comment on the bigger ones, but ive have more fun with the smaller bass of 2-4lbs than bass of 5-8lbs

mullet can be difficult to catch ,they also can be easy same as every fish,(once caught 12 salmon in 2 hours,28 bass in the same time frame)they give a great scrap using the right tackle ,i also have caught a lot of mullet.and so what if there getting popular to fish for,by the way they tend to be handy caught in galway because there getting fed bread every day by the tourists feeding the ducks and seagulls,kinda like fishing for goldfish in a garden pond.strangest thing i ever saw going on a fishing forum to slag fish ,feck it think ill just fish for blue fin from now on bass and salmon too easy to catch and they fight terrible lmao

by the way they tend to be handy caught in galway because there getting fed bread every day by the tourists feeding the ducks and seagulls,kinda like fishing for goldfish in a garden pond.

Just for the record fishing is not permitted in this area so for anyone reading please don't attempt to do so

the little rosbiff

I love it, that's what I'm calling him from now on!

Right, so now that i am a little more awake and its not 3am, i see that i might have mis-labeled this thread slightly. The title should have read: Common misconceptions about mullet, or something like that. Oh well, live and learn.

hi man,i doubt you have more mullet than alot of guys on here but any way i have to say that your talking complete rubbish.

firstly mullet are quite hard to catch due to their feeding habits,small mouth and nervous disposition.
even though they may enter a flooding harbour to feed on offal they can be turned onto bread with some patience.

secondly mullet are very hard fighters on the right gear,(maybe you use a 30-50lb boat rod and 7000 reel??)but as they get larger say over 5lb or so they can seem lazy much the same as Bass and seatrout but i think this is due to them taking in too much water whilst being retrieved with their mouth open .

anyway, i think you just want to start a row for the crack.....either that or your just brain farting.

Firstly, i want to make it clear that i only want to see the view of others, and to find out if anyone else feels the same way i do. I do not want to start an argument for the sake of it. If you have a better idea of how to find out other peoples views on this subject, tell me.

The whole "more mullet" thing, i don't post reports so i don't expect you to believe that.

Small mouths? Are you kidding? Ok, they may not be cod or bass sized but i can still fit 3 fingers into the mouth of a 5 pounder to get the hook out.

You gave a good example of mullet coming into a harbour to feed on fishy leftovers that have been dumped by boats. As you say, you can turn them onto bread with a bit of patience. My question is, why would you bother? Why not give the fish what they have come to feed on? I have always found that a small piece of mackerel works wonders when there are fishing boats or trawlers present.

I have about 6 different rods that i fish for mullet with, depending on the location and the method. The heaviest of these is a 12' salmon bait fishing rod that i pair with a 5000 sized shimano stradic and 15lb braid. Everything else i have is lighter than that.

Aex, I reckon it's a good thing mullet are getting this reputation. I'd love to see them as popular and fished for as much as Bass. So popular in fact that they get the same degree of protection as Bass.

Thats a pretty good point, i hadn't thought of that.

By the way, they tend to be handy caught in galway because there getting fed bread every day by the tourists feeding the ducks and seagulls, kinda like fishing for goldfish in a garden pond. Strangest thing i ever saw going on a fishing forum to slag fish, feck it think ill just fish for blue fin from now on Bass and salmon too easy to catch and they fight terrible lmao

As Conor said John, fishing isn't allowed in that area. Most of my recent fishing for them has been about 10 miles out from Galway. Did i say they fought terrible? No, i said that some(not all) aren't as good as some people make them out to be. Mullet just so happen to be my favourite fish, and it will most likely stay that way for some time.

Alex

Just like any other fish, they have times when they feed and times when they don't feed. The whole idea that mullet are hard to catch is purely from people fishing at the wrong time, in the wrong place with the wrong bait.

I'm not trying to stir it up, but this statement is true of every fish from a tompot blenny to a great white. I daresay you'd catch plenty of either––and everything in between--if you had all the relevant info on feeding location and timing. What makes a species hard to catch is learning this information and putting it into effect. It may well be that this info is easy to learn for mullet; I don't know as I never fished for or caught one. The fact remains, though, that saying mullet are easy to catch once you know shed-loads about mullet kind of misses the point.