River Dodder Mullet

Message

#1 Post by **alby** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 4:46 pm

People:Myself (few others fishing too)

Duration:2 hrs

Tide:2 hours into the ebb

Weather:warm, a little overcast

Bait:todays best bread today

Rigs:bubble float

Results:1 Mullet 4lb

Report:
Fished in my local river today as the mullet had been goading me all week walking to work scooping all sorts off the surface, so with a very sore head

I got up this morning and had a go. Literally hundreds of fish were cruising around and despite presenting the bread on their noses they refused while taking a fair few of my free offerings.

As the tide was getting lower the fish began to move back out so I saw one fish on his own and threw some bread to float down to him, he enjoyed Mr.Brennans finest so I trotted the gear down towards him and hooked him on the first trot down, I had him played out after a few minutes and another guy who was fishing took a few photos as I was playing the fish, good scrappers but nothing like a bass of the same weight.

Note the wild scenery of the barriers in the river

Metropolitan fishing at its best!

#2 Post by **Cooke** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:35 pm

Alby - I was there today also. I saw you hidden in the bushes on the far bank. I had a few tentative takes but hooked none. Went down to the hot water outlet at Poolbeg where there were thousands of fish. My mate had six on the trot in under an hour plus loads of missed takes. There was a lot of people here throwing feathers at the mullet and trying to foul hook them. I had three fish on a paternoster with a five foot snood that allowed me fish a bait on the surface and avoiding drifting over the featherers.

#3 Post by **alby** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:00 pm

Hi Ya Cooke,

Yeah that was me prancing around on the far bank alright, but i kept spooking them so i could get a bit of cover and see them taking when i was in the park. The were very tentative alright, I dont use too much finesse just 8lb mono straight through, do you use flurocarbon or anythin for snoods when they're finicky?

Total assholes trying to foul hook or "snib" mullet

, they'd totally destroy a fish, not anglers at all. Don't know how many times I've had an oul lad come up to me and say "ye wont catch them on bread, put a spinner on and try and snib one", I was actually playing a fish behind the tennis club one day when an oul lad told me I was "wasting your time fishing for them feckin things", musn't have had great hearing cos the drag was singing!

Think i'll give the hot water a shot tommor night if the weather is settled.

#4 Post by **Cooke** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:40 pm

I lilke to use flouro for the hooklength. I use 4-6lb mainline and 4lb flouro. Clear floats are best for the dodder. Sometimes the fish want the bait sunk just under the surface. Controlling the float so that the bait behaves unsuspiciously is the greatest challenge. Wind and tide create plenty of surface drift here and the amount of flotsam that litters the surface hampers presentation. If you are going to the hot water, bring either bubble floats that can cast the distance or fish the bomb with a long snood. The fish today were moving in and out from 25 - 70 yards.

#5 Post by **Ronald** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:47 pm

How long does it normally take to get the fish taking bread ,i've tried a few times now with no sucess

Pidgeon · #6 Post by **Pidgeon** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:05 pm

Fair play to you alby - you just seem to be getting better and better each time you go out. Keep up the good work and don't forget to keep posting all you're future catches!!!

Pidgeon · #7 Post by **Pidgeon** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:14 pm

By the way I noticed you had your townie gear on and was dressed like a junkie so as to confuse the fish... very clever!! you would never had fooled those dub mullet had you been wearing you proper fishing gear...

#8 Post by **alby** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:13 pm

Ah good oul Pidgeon, by the poor grammar and your shift finishing at 7pm I'd say it's safe to assume it's the brother in law George

Yeah barbour clothing and waders give the game away to them mullet alright, they have to be used to seeing the same "hard-chaws" around the river, the reason I only fooled one is because I had no cans of Dutch Gold or I wasn't "skinning up man", they knew something was up!

Cheers for the tips Cooke, will employ them into the mullet fishing, it's just really handy travel & bait wise to fish for them and they go well on light gear not to mention safer than toughing it out with the mackie bashers launching 5oz of lead on 10lb mono with 6 hooks.

Ronald they can come on to the bread really well when their in a feeding mood but they are finicky buggers. Also I think it's easier to get them in Rivers & Estuarys rather than in the open sea, well thats what i've found.

#9 Post by **corbyeire** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 11:10 am

fair play on the perseverence alby

#10 Post by **GF80** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 3:28 pm

Great Catch Alby

What size hook do you use and where is the best spot to fish on the dodder. I grew up in clontarf and have been taunted at by the mullet in dollymount for years with no joy.

#11 Post by **alby** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 5:18 pm

Cheers Corbyeire!

GF80 - I use a size 10 (I think) if you've done any trout fishing in your time that size is about right, but get a decent strong pattern because the mullet pull back a bit. I use 8lb mono straight through, with a small bubble float for casting and bite indication, however i am going to drop this to 6lb mono and use 4lb flurocarbon hook length as i think this will result in more takes. Brian Cooke (Cooke from the forum) uses this and he is a very accomplished mullet man with many specimens under his belt. A very important piece of kit is a long handled/telescopic landing net which is vital as it's impossible to pull heavy fish up on tackle so light, and their mouths are not made for strong hook holds under pressure.

As far as the dodder goes anywhere it is tidal will hold fish, however your best chance is where they hold up with for any period of time, Landsdowne Tennis Club is an area where they congregate as the tide is rising, just the seaward side of London Bridge. The "pipe" is a storm drain behind landsdowne road stadium and the hold up here too, a great mark is behind the famous sweepstake appartments in ballsbridge, but they only move here in big numbers on a spring tide to give themselves maximum time that far up river.

paddyc · #12 Post by **paddyc** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:56 am

Just out of interest, what would be the top 3 places for mullet around dublin??

#13 Post by **GF80** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:17 pm

Cheers Alby....I must head out that way and put that ghost to rest! I am close enough to the Tolka estuary as well and reckon that might be worth a shot too.

#14 Post by **stevecrow74** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:18 pm

i'll say nothing..... MINE WERE BIGGER....

http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/bull ... php?t=6428

#15 Post by **GF80** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 2:08 pm

lovely fish steve

#16 Post by **alby** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 2:35 pm

Dair dues Steve, great fish, was it a specimen >5lbs, certainly looked in or around it anyway. I'll not be bettering your mark this week hopefully i'll give ye a run for your money in the next couple of weeks, still i'll be hard pressed to get one like that in the river, although I did see some huge fish out last night when I was gathering peelers. They came into a creek behind me when the tide was flooding, well over 5lb, some maybe approaching 8lb. Tough to tempt in the open sea though!