Mullet off and running
The baitfish are abundant and the fishing is exciting
South Florida anglers wait all year for the fall mullet run because the fishing can be incredible. Even if you don’t catch a fish.
As schools of mullet swim south along area beaches before heading offshore to spawn, seemingly every gamefish in the ocean, fromsnook and sharks to tarpon and jacks, followthe bait schools. Those fish will often charge through a school, sending mullet flying.
“We call it the greatest showon earth when those fish blowup,” TomGreene said.
This year, it looks like it could be the greatest show in a long time off Palm Beach and Broward counties. Mullet are plentiful in Sebastian and Fort Pierce, which means they should soon be heading thisway, especially with a front and northerly winds forecast for theweekend.
“I think the reason everything is so good is normally by nowwe have bad ground swells and roughwater and the schools break up,” said Greene, the owner of CustomRod andReel in Lighthouse Point, who has fished the mullet run since hewas a kid. “This yearwe haven’t had any of that, so the fish are still together and all bunched up.”
Capt. GlynAustin, who fishes in the Indian River and the beaches around Sebastian Inlet, confirmed the abundance of mullet, along with “tarpon, sharks and kingfish galore.” He’s been catching those fish fromhis bay boat in just 15 feet ofwater off the beach south of the inlet.
“The mullet schools are pretty good size,” Austin said. “They start off small as the sun comes up and build as the day goes on.”
Land- based anglers have been catching mostly upper slot redfish— fish 25- 27 inches— fromthe jetties at the inlet andAustin said the snook bite also has been really good. Surf anglerswere catching Spanish mackerel, jacks and a few bluefish.
“This is absolutelymy favorite time of year,” said Austin, who guides for all those species ( call him at 321- 863- 8085 or visit goingcoastalcharters. com) but likes tarpon the best.
“I had two brothers out Wednesday and they said, ‘ We’d like to catch a tarpon.’ I said, ‘ You’re in luck.’ We landed two of four tarpon and hooked10 sharks and big kings. I hate to say it, but you can almost guarantee you’ll hook a tarpon this time of year.”
Tarpon are already feeding on the early arrivals farther south. Capt. SkipDana, who fishes out of Hillsboro Inlet, said there are lots of mullet in the inlet and the IntracoastalWaterway and “tarpon and snook are tearing them up.”
Greene said mornings have been a great time to catch snook around bridges in the Intracoastal from West Palm Beach to Pompano Beach. Just look for mullet.
“People might have to go to three bridges, but wherever they find the bait, they catch snook,” he said.
Many anglers catch mullet to use for bait with a cast net, but Greene said there’s an even easierway.
Put the eye of a halfounce or1- ounce bank or dipsey sinker over one prong of a treble hook, cast it into a mullet school and snag a mullet, then let the bait andweight sink to the bottom.
That’s where the majority of mullet are eaten by gamefish, which are opportunistic. Whenone or two fish crash into a school, snook, tarpon, bluefish, sharks and jackswait for stunned or maimed mullet to flutter downto them.
“Another secret I’ve used allmy life is snag a mullet, wind it in, break it in half and throwit right back out and let it lay on the bottom,” Greene said.