# Mullet



## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

occy used to catch mullet at foot of Wymston Parade, Wareemba on the sand flats of Hen and Chicken Bay about 50 years ago.

Squirt worms as bait from the same flats on about a #6 hook [from memory?] and on the making tide over the area we gathered the bait .....rig a wooden ruler with main line attached at one end, and along the side about 4 or 5 droppers attached around the ruler edges each varying 50 to 90mm long.

It cast like a bullet from the shore and the ruler lay flat on the surface and danced at each bite, we counted the strikes [to match dropper number] before retrieving, unless we got a hookup.

Majority of the mullet were lano and a few bullies, but all types were a lot of fun on light gear......never ate them as preferred those taken on the ocean beaches.


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## FishinDan (Jul 3, 2006)

We used to chase em as a kid down around Cronulla & Bundenna. Used a small square of balsa wood, with a hole drilled in each corner. Main line tied to one, and 3 droppers in the others (similar to Dodge's ruler). We just used bread squeezed onto small hooks. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs around the water as berley. Worked for gar too.

Mullet do taste bloody good as well. Most people I know look at me kind of funny when I say it, but there's some people that agree. From what we found, the mullet around the ocean area were good, but the ones up the creeks were no where near as good.

They'd be great fun to chase on 2lb braid though!!!


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## Marineside (May 8, 2009)

Used to get them as a kid when growing up in Oyster Bay, used an old broom stick with a nail taped on as a spear don't think that would be ok today though  Also there was an old fisherman by the name of "Mr Tailor" who was a net fisherman he would walk around door to door & sell them for "2 shillings" a fish, can't remember how my Mother yoused to cook them but i think the best way is to BBQ or Grill them as they can be a bit oily?


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I always keep the big one I catch in the castnet for dad to eat. The row is an extra special delicacy either fried fresh or sun dried and then served with olive oil.


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## Breambo (Apr 19, 2006)

Mullet of any size are awesome to catch , tail walks, jumps and sizzling runs. I love fishing for them though I rarely eat them I know heaps of old blokes who love em, but they make for excellent bait, gut and strips for bream and tailor, and livies killer for jew. Ive had success with livies even up to the 30-40cm range.
This is how I catch them. Use a light line with a wine cork and a very small hook.Burley up with bread for a while, even better if you can do it every day at the same tide for a few days, then fish with a doe mixture with a bit of fish oil mixed in. if you have trouble keeping the doe on mix some cotton wool in the mix or use a "mullet fly" which is simply a small piece of white cheesecloth attached to your very small hook.
I reckon they are very under rated fish to catch and those big mullet you see sitting under the surface can drive you mad trying to make them bite but when they do they'll give you a definite run for your money.
Good luck.


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## sarod420 (Sep 25, 2009)

Used to hook quite a few when fly fishing at narrabeen using bread flies in a berley trail, you definitely know when you have hooked one of those beasts. If i could find a way to consistently catch them on lures or fly i would probably spend more time chasing them than bream.
A mate of mine gets them in Lane Cove river fairly often using nymph flies, apparently after heavy rains they are eating the bugs that get washed over the weir. 
Hmmmm might have to have a go at that tommorow with the crappy weather in sydney atm, Anyone up for a mullet hunt?


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## Guest (Mar 20, 2011)

We used to make a deer hair fly that looked like a piece of bread crust on about a #10 or #8 hook. walk out to the oyster racks in Salamander Bay, Port Stephens (before the racks were taken out) and fly fish for them in a liaght berley trail. If they were big enough to eat, they'd go in the pan. If not, they'd be turned into fresh bream baits for the next day.Was great fun.


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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QlpoOTFBWSZTWedj5VgAACDfgAAQQOcAEBAgsAA//98gMAC1qGqn7SGmpomTINAzKaDVPBEGQAAABqp/lTFP0QPSBGgBorzFvyYp4AuEIH2DcyohEUiuCMFYs2WyNeW8Xii2xzeQ2xXRBoSLndRe6i9fUQyDVNxFmqRvKFONamqWJJ9N+dj1k8rTGaRGUUdhUxysXJ72an0ITz5JVoMkzzUUn1UqeJZQGL3B8Mo/qWc1mFtg1Y0kXBehDZhIJKDFsIDmIGfbgLjCVTPHOyn8XckU4UJDnY+VYA==


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I have an aboriginal mate who can spear them in the shallows. Beats me how they allow for refraction, I should ask him.


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## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

I caught some up in the Gulf with a 44 magnum. Just aim in the general area and pull the trigger, the shockwave stuns them and they float to the top. 10 minutes or so and they start to wake back up.


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## bushwoodboy (Oct 5, 2006)

When we were kids we used to catch them at the waste pipe from the Abattoirs in the Brisbane river.
The water would be absolutely boiling with them.
A small piece of gut from the pipe on a fly hook below a small float, cast out & hang on.
Some of the mullet caught here were the biggest I've ever seen.
No good for eating we used them for bait & the crab pots.
Also caught them off the Pottsville bridge .
A loop of elastic with 4 droppers with fly hooks, ball of dough in the middle of the loop & a small piece on each hook.
Just float it out along a berley trail. These were very clean & quite good eating.

Cheers Mal.


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## eagle4031 (Jan 29, 2010)

do many of you actuall like eating them ???????????


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## FishinDan (Jul 3, 2006)

eagle0951 said:


> do many of you actuall like eating them ???????????


From clean ocean water yes 8)


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## Stoffeltoo (Oct 4, 2010)

In South and North Natal we used to catch striped mullet with light line 8lbs , a cork float and 2-3 small hooks tied dropper style loaded with guts, bread&guts mixed with cotton wool and wrapped around the hooks. This kept the peckers at bay and the water would normally boil with fleeing when the big mullet or perch arrive.
Striped mullet of 2 lbs provides sizzling action with screaming runs, head shaking and spectacular jumps. The flesh is good but way to bony to thoroughly enjoy.

BTW to the ex Saarfies, St Lucia, Southbroom estuary and Zinkwazi, the two spots that delivered regular fish.


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## scater (Nov 24, 2007)

BigGee said:


> Love this thread and I'm so gonna give Dodge's ruler assembly a go.


Make sure and check the local regs Gee, that rig would no longer be legal up here I'm pretty sure.


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## bobnobby (Mar 24, 2009)

As a kid i use to holiday with my grandmother at sussex inlet. she was a great whiting fisherman. If she caught a mullet there was great carry ons about how yuck they were!!!
Many years later and many mullet thrown back, the wife and i were on holidays and the fishing was lean. We caught a couple of mullet and cooked them up. Nothing wrong with mullet in my opinion.
rob


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## eagle4031 (Jan 29, 2010)

i too have been brought up with a stigma towards mullet


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## solatree (May 30, 2008)

According to Australian Seafood, mullet are "Traditionally important foodfishes in Australia. Some 16 species occur here and at least 8 are frequently marketed. The flesh varies in quality between species"....and about the Sea Mullet "Highly regarded table fish"

In SA, Coorong Mullet are iconic, especially with Coopers Beer Batter. The Autum mullet run in SA sees hordes of people out there targeting them from the beach. One of my wifes favourite fishes, fresh sea run mullet caught in the surf. I've had fun catching them on soft plastics in our mangrove creeks.








and also hardbody lures in the Coorong.


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## sarod420 (Sep 25, 2009)

solatree said:


> In SA, Coorong Mullet are iconic,


The last restaurant i worked at we used to get them air freight to Sydney, absolutely beautiful eating fish. I personally have never tried any of the other species due to all the negative reports on eating quality.


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## Jords (Jun 22, 2008)

BigGee said:


> scater said:
> 
> 
> > BigGee said:
> ...


I'm presuming you are saying this due to the number of hooks? But wouldn't that rule out a sabiki bait jig thing, they have 7 or 8 hooks?


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

scater said:


> BigGee said:
> 
> 
> > Love this thread and I'm so gonna give Dodge's ruler assembly a go.
> ...


Sam out of curiosity I just had a look at DPI Qld rules and is as quoted below, so reckon the ruler could be used but maybe have less droppers


> Restrictions to fishing gear in Queensland protect fish stocks from overfishing.
> Fishing lines
> 
> In tidal waters, up to three fishing lines with up to six hooks in total (in any configuration) are permitted. An artificial fly or lure is deemed to be equal to one hook.
> ...


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## lazydays (Aug 30, 2005)

Still catch em for live jewfish bait.
The rig is, swivel, dropper line about 450mm long, at intervals add a long shank hook. At swivel add a large rubber band.
One slice of fresh bread is folded into quarters and held by the rubber band. Dough is squeezed onto hooks. You get about 2 casts (or a slow lob) until the bread breaks up and becomes burley. As the bread is attacked don't try to hook the fish. Wait until it has hooked itself.

Best fun was years ago when the lake next to the highway at Currumbin Bird Sanctuary was teaming with 2kg plus mullet that had been trapped for years.
Used 1kg line and let them run all over the place. Had to stop when the passing traffic had too many tail enders watching us with rods bent to the max and playing the fish like a marlin.


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## mal.com (Feb 10, 2007)

For Friday night raffles Ballina RSL club used to put on free bowls of fresh river mullet fish cocktail size bits in bread crumbs.

They were devoured instantly, as they tasted pretty good, and I'm sure if you asked any of the club-goers they would deny ever eating a "crappy fish" like mullet.

This may also attest to the anesthetic powers of Tooheys.

cheers 
Mal de mer


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## onemorecast (Apr 17, 2006)

A favorite of the kids down in Cowan creek out of the boat. I just rip up a couple pieces of bread and chuck them out. Fish for 10 minutes or so for bream/whiting over the side until I can hear the bread being slurped. Rig up little floats and #10 or 12 hooks and start fishign for mullet. I agree they punch above their weight and are great fun for the kids.

If I'm not feeling too lazy I make up some dough before we go.


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## andybear (Jan 15, 2006)

I only ever caught the one mullet.

I was standing in the water, a bit deeper than knee deep, and a biggish mullet swims past. Like a flash, the hand darted down, and grasped the little sucker, and at that instance I realised why fish have dorsal fins. I kept it, but I bled a bit! :shock:

Cheers andybear


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