Our expert finds a haven for wily opponents.
Sneaky tactics to improve your catch rate with these wily critters
Cold weather, raging seas and numb fingers are all the hallmarks of a British winter LRF season. Cold and rain are easily nullified by wearing the correct clothing, but the raging seas and consistent easterly storms have cut short many of my fishing options. Harbours have been my only viable location in raging seas, but still the fishing has been patchy.
However, there is one venue that has been consistent, even in the rough weather, and that is my local power station. Based on the coast, the power station has one major feature that attracts all sorts of fish throughout the colder months, and that’s a hot water outflow.
In the rockpools, shrimps still thrive throughout the winter, and these small habitats provide home for numerous rockpool fish. In turn, this life attracts many predatory fish that come inshore attracted by the warm currents and rich feeding. There is also one species that makes this area their home even through the dark, cold winter days, and that is the mullet.
Using standard LRF tactics when chasing grey mullet, I have only managed to catch two over eight or nine years. One fell to a small piece of Isome and the other to dropshotted Japanese Gulp, However, the tackle is perfect for actually targeting these wily, hard-fighting fish. I used to target mullet with float-fishing tactics involving light line and a float rod designed for coarse fishing, teamed with a lightly shotted stick float.
This combination of tactics works, but it was only when I started to use my LRF rod with braid and even simpler tactics that my catch rate (that wasn’t bad) became really consistent and in fact improved dramatically.
LRF tackle in this situation is so handy because the rods are very versatile, which means I can be using my normal range of LRF techniques such as dropshotting and jighead rigs with soft plastics, or switch to small metals for the various predator species that frequent the industrial make-up of the marks.
When I get a glimpse of mullet, which is usually a certainty where I fish, then I make a simple change of end tackle to be equipped to not only target these tricky fish, but also put me in with the best chance of landing one.
MINIMAL KIT
One major benefit of LRF tackle is its ability to cast very light weights. The sensitivity of the rod also has a major bearing on turning subtle bites into purely positive indications that you are able to sense and then strike to get that mullet on the line. Using bait with LRF kit is not LRF. However, the versatility of the weight range and action of the rod for targeting the frustratingly wily mullet cannot be overlooked, especially as it is my most successful way of catching them.
My preferred set-up for mullet comprises a solid-tipped LRF rod, my favourite being the Hart Bloody Rock and Street with a lure weight of 1-7g and a length of just under 7ft 6in. The soft, solid tip helps me to see bites as well as allowing the mullet to pick up the bait and feel little resistance, which can equate to a better hook-up-to-bite ratio.
The rod has a fairly fast action with a soft tip and a gentle fighting curve when playing the fish. This slightly softer action helps when using braid mainlines as there is less chance of you ‘bouncing’ the fish off during the fight.
I use a fixed-spool reel to match the rod, in this case a front drag 2500 size, loaded with PE0.6 diameter braid mainline. The braid’s lack of stretch is crucial for feeling subtle bites and allows the angler to make lightning-fast strikes. Add a 4-6lb fluorocarbon leader,
working on the principle that the more spooky the mullet, the lower the breaking strain to which I go. This can sometimes make a difference, but most of the time a 6lb leader does the job.
My hook is size 6 in a short-shank, widegape pattern such as the Sabpolo Wormer from Tronixpro. I also carry a small amount of split shot in case I need to sink the bread and fish it lower down in the water column. With some good-quality white bread for groundbaiting and hookbaits, I am pretty much set to go.
I find a landing net is very important when fishing for mullet because they can be hardwon fish. The last thing you want is to shake a fish off at the point of landing it. The other thing I find invaluable is a good-quality pair of polarised sunglasses to help me spot the mullet. If I can see them then, in theory, I can catch them.
It really is the most minimal kit that I use. I find the less tackle between the hook and the angler, the more positive the bites become.
TOP TACTIC
My sole tactic is to freeline bread flake to the fish. This is where the benefit of using an LRF rod comes into play because a small piece of flake, which when dunked in the water prior to casting weighs anywhere from 2-5g, sits perfectly within the rod’s casting weight range and, as a result, you can get a surprising distance with a small piece of bread. However, casting distance is rarely a necessity when mulleting as the key to getting them to feed is to make them interested in the bread.
My standard tactic on arrival at the warmwater outflow is to first look around. This was the case on my most recent visit with my pal Joe Turner. I find a high vantage point and sit and watch for signs of mullet feeding. Sometimes it is obvious because the fish are on the surface and give away tell-tale swirls, or you can spot their lips just breaking the surface as they filter through the surface.
I also look out for flashes of silver when the mullet graze over weeded rocks. These signs are more subtle, but with the aid of polarised glasses you can see the groups of fish patrolling and feeding.
Once I have established where the mullet are located, the next task is to get them feeding on bread. I take a couple of slices of white bread, break one up into small pieces and throw it out over where the fish are feeding. Normally, it doesn’t take long before you start seeing swirls and flashes around the bread when the mullet come up and try to sink the bread. Once I see them active, I throw out a whole slice and watch the fish as they slam into it, trying to break it up.
While they are concentrating on breaking up the bread, I take a piece about the size of a 50p piece from the centre of a slice, pinch it on to the shank of the hook and press hard, before gently folding the rest over the hook and giving it a gentle press. With the bread flake secured on the hook, I dunk it in the water to give me the weight I need to gently cast it to the feeding fish.
With this ultra-simple set-up of only a hook, line, rod and reel, bites are very positive. Most of the time you can see your hookbait floating on or just under the surface, and the fish as they home in on it. Even if you can see the fish nosing your hookbait, always resist the temptation to strike until you feel a bite.
On such sensitive tackle, bites are very positive. As soon as I feel it, a quick flick of the wrist sets the hook. I always try and strike quite hard when mullet fishing . Despite them having a soft-mouthed reputation, the top lip
is really quite hard. With a firm strike, a good sharp hook will soon find a solid hookhold. If you strike and miss the fish it is always better to reel in and rebait. I find mullet ignore a piece of bread flake if the hook is at all exposed. In this case it’s always better to re-bait with bread, ensuring that the hook is covered before trying again.
Mullet are incredible fighters, with power and speed, and employ some very tricky fighting tactics that allow them to throw a hook. They have range of fighting styles, such as charging off on powerful runs, heading into weed or snags to shed the hook, leaping out of the water like a sea-trout, or ‘porpoising’, where they come right to the top and thrash on the surface. As a result, this creates a rapid slack-line/tight-line vibration down the rod and soon loosens anything but the most secure hookhold.
The powerful fight and trickiness to hook make mullet the most marvellous and challenging fish to catch, but it really is worth it because they fight so hard all the way to the net. I also find them a great-looking fish to photograph and release.
The mullet locally tend to stay until around February, but while they are there and other lure-caught species are thin on the ground I can think of no finer way of spending a day than chasing those ghostly shadows.