Fly for mullet
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Saltwater Flyflingers
Forum Description: A forum for saltwater fly fishing enthusiasts
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=19559
Printed Date: 22 Oct 2026 at 5:36am
Topic: Fly for mullet
Posted By: Snuffit.
Subject: Fly for mullet
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2007 at 8:11am
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I read Craig's article in Fishing News with great interest - mainly because I've spent many fruitless hours casting at grey mullet for no result except a foul hook up. I just haven't nailed down a pattern that seems to attract their interest. I fish a channel area that floods quickly on the change of tide, the mullet hold in the current with their noses down on structure and for all the world the presentations are similar to casting to trout holding in a fast stream.
Presentation aside - first I need a fly pattern that mullet will eat. I've tried bread flies, little crabbie things, silicon smelt and even Pheasant tails all with no joy.
So, what fly will mullet scoff? Once I get that part nailed I'm pretty sure I can catch one or two ... I think so.... I hope so....
Cheers
Nick
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Replies:
Posted By: FishMan
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2007 at 12:54pm
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Hi Nick,
Good to hear of someone else that has been cursed by these beggars. I'd just about given up when news of the success they'd had in western australia encouraged me to have another go. It sounds like the situation you have there is perfect. I still don't know what the secret is but so far a very small bright fly has been working occasionally. The fly I used is a size 12 or 14 with a bright silver/chartreuse body and a tiny chartreuse rabbit fur wing. The retrieve has been a short and quick two inch pull...flick, flick, flick... which must resemble a small shrimp or something.
The trouble is - they are still difficult and experimentation with different flies and different retrieves is very time consuming. The more people trying the better! I feel there is a secret here somewhere.
The important things to consider are the size of the fly (nothing bigger than a 12) and the fact that these fish are not predatory i.e. they will not chase anything down so get the fly right in front of them as often as you can without spooking them.
Hope you have some success!
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Posted By: herby
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2007 at 4:11pm
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This may be of little or no value to you but recently Rusky and I have been having good results spearing mullet to 2.2kg and have spent long periods of time watching their behaviour. The two most common feeding methods i have seen are 1) filtering the mud from the bottom (much like carp)
and 2) sipping food particles from the surface as it drifts past or they swim past.
Going on this I would suggest casting beyond a bottom feeding mullet and a slow retrieve along the bottom or flicking a floating fly at surface feeders. Ofted they form tight schools and swirl around in one spot, this is what I would say would be the most oppurtune time to cast to them.
Then again Im no fly fisherman, just a lowly spearo.
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Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2007 at 4:40pm
Herby, those 2.2kg models got my attention
Any idea what sort of length they would be?
I've been playing with them in Tga harbour & I reckon some of the big ones would be 60-65 cms!
I've "snagged" a few on the softbaits & man, they've got some tow.
I have a couple of fly rods here but am pretty sure it would be a waste of time with a standard fly reel.
Will have to look out for an el cheapo SWF model.
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Posted By: herby
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2007 at 4:55pm
| Well the last one I got was 2.2kg and it was, I guess, the same length as a kahawai of similar weight, but it was also fat and roed up so that would have added to its weight. I'd say 55-60 cm. I have a photo of it i could post at some stage. I think mullet are generally a wee bit lighter than Kahawai of the same length? |
Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2007 at 5:36pm
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Yep, I'd agree that they would be slightly lighter.
Just had a look at Collins guide to the seafish of NZ & they say the average size would be 30-40cms but some (occasional) reach 75cms & 5kgs!!!
Tga's Sulphur Point marina is chocka with the buggars but they would be hard to stop/land with all the structure.Mmmmmm..........
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Posted By: FishMan
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2007 at 7:18pm
| Herby, thanks for the underwater observations. The surface feeding is interesting. Has to be the time to get them. I see them rolling on the surface here but can't figure out whether they're feeding or just having fun! Spearing mullet is not easy. Most of the mullet I see underwater are just blasting past at a million miles an hour. |
Posted By: herby
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2007 at 7:44pm
| yeah it can be a bit tricky to nail them, but theres a spot we go to that they are in amongst big boulders with mud in between so they can be snuck up on like snapper. The 2.2kg one was going like a bat out of hell right on the edge of the viz with about 20 mates and i pulled off a bit of a fluke shot. theres a resident school in lucas creek that you can see every so often bottom feeding with the incomming tide. Sometimes they are feeding on the surface and sometomes they are just chilling out. In the surf at Muriwai you can sometimes see them surface feeding too. Now theres a challenge for you, mullet on fly in the surf! |
Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2007 at 7:55pm
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I often see them cruising close to the surface, usually just moving pretty slowly.
They don't look like they are feeding but maybe they are.
Sometimes, the area is "alive" with mullet leaping out of the water. Some of them would get close to clearing the water by a metre.
Any ideas what that would be about?
( I like to think they are practising for when I hook them on my fly rod
 ) |
Posted By: the snapper
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2007 at 8:33pm
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I've had a few cracks at these grey torpedos and hooked only two. One on a very small shrimp fly, bought in Aus where they use them for bream (I think), and another on a home made jobbie using a tiny amount of champagne egg yarn on a size 14 fished with an indicator. The shrimp fly looked like a sand hopper on about a size 12 in light brown colour, I haven't seen anything similar here. I can't help thinking that one of the Mullet took the fly out of pity in the end though. I'd love to see a pic of your fly Craig, why didn't they show it in the mag? Perhaps you are still thinking of a name for it...
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Posted By: FishMan
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2007 at 7:21am
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Thanks Simon..more things to try! The general success on a fairly wide range of tiny flies suggests that there could be a pattern, yet to be discovered, that will be hot.
I'll try and post a pic of my fly later.
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Posted By: Nikolaj Mathiesen
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2007 at 9:00am
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In old Denmark, I fished a lot for big mullets. They arrived every summer in great numbers and our biggest fish so far is 7,8kg. We struggled for a few years until we found the technic. Mix sand with white bread and start a little burley trail. The bread will unfold and float on the surface. Within �hour the mullet should start to feed on the bread. You cast a little bread immitation fly in there and watch very carefylly. The mullet will take it on the surface, but will also spit it out in a second. We used size 14 dryfly hooks and white artificial fibres. Will see if I can find photos from some danish websites.
------------- www.bigangryfish.co.nz |
Posted By: FishMan
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2007 at 10:57am
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Nik, I think you'll find they're a different species. Very similar but not quite the same animal. The Danish fish are presumably the same as the ones the Poms rave about all the time.
Here 'tis: http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=2499 - http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=2499
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Posted By: 1000PA
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2007 at 11:36am
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Here's a few shots of my gear for mullet. They fight like heck for a short time.
Home tyed flies, made from yellow chenille and tied with D20 yellow cotton. You'll have to experiment with the hook size but I find the bigger the fish I see the bigger the hook I choose. Use a small hook and you'll only catch small mullet. It's as if they have a pecking order sometimes.
   The technique that works best for us is simply to locate the school of mullet, spread bran over the surface (they go mad for this) and about 30 seconds later start casting. If the fly gets into the bran then just give it the occasional tug and the fish will do the rest. If it sinks, then just start again.
We've seen some gnarly blokes with grins as wide as their faces after they've been sceptical about this then try it out!
Ross
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Posted By: FishMan
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2007 at 12:17pm
| Off to buy some bran! |
Posted By: Snuffit.
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2007 at 12:18pm
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Bloody awesome, thanks guys I appreciate the feedback and tips.
Ok, the water's moving too fast to sprinkle bran - if I were 'downstream and casting up - but if I wade above them, and burley up and then fish the fly down and across... I envisage using a pattern described by Craig or Ross's one, with split shot on the leader so I can swing it accurately to the fish... this is gonna be good I can just 'feel' it in my bones.....
Cheers
Nick
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Posted By: FishMan
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2007 at 12:41pm
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Ross,
Can I ask whereabouts you catch them using the bran technique?
Thanks.
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Posted By: 1000PA
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2007 at 2:08pm
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On the Kaipara Harbour. We walk down to the low tide mark on the flats and just follow the tide incomming for a little while. They group up looking for the channels and guts to be first onto the weed beds.
Ross
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Posted By: FishMan
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2007 at 6:43pm
| Thanks Ross. Very interesting. |
Posted By: 1000PA
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2007 at 8:21pm
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http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/member_profile.asp?PF=60705&FID=36 - Nick F if you use split shot on the leader try placing a very small cork about half way down to the hook. That way in a current I guess it'd bob about between the surface and the bottom. I havn't tried that but you just gave me the idea. Thanks
Ross
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Posted By: herby
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2007 at 8:49pm
Ok heres a 2.2 kg mullet next to a size 12 jandal for scale.
  A kahawai of similar length would be up near 3kg I reckon
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Posted By: 1000PA
Date Posted: 16 Mar 2007 at 7:54am
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Great fish in that photo Herby. I bet it taste great too. Ross |
Posted By: fuzzchukka
Date Posted: 16 Mar 2007 at 9:40pm
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Hi Guys While fishing the esturies in South Africa for Wave Garrick and Shad we would often target Mullet when things got quiet. The method was to chum with bread. The mullet would start feeding in the chum line and it was not long after you put your fly into the middle that you would be on. The most effective fly was what we caled a bread fly, a crude adaptation and basically a lot of white fluff that remains floating. I will have a look on the site that I use and get a link for you guys to get some more info if I can find it later. |
Posted By: fuzzchukka
Date Posted: 16 Mar 2007 at 9:48pm
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Hi
I managed to find the link. Have a look. I will be trying the same technique here in NZ and will let you know.
http://www.flytalk.co.za/forum/showthread.php?t=573 - http://www.flytalk.co.za/forum/showthread.php?t=573
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Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 16 Mar 2007 at 10:34pm
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Excellent fuzzchuckka. Thanks for the link |
Posted By: Moritz
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2007 at 9:04pm
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....any news on the mullet-fontline? |
Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2007 at 9:20pm
The large shoals of them that were in the Tauranga marina entrance dissapeared about 2 months ago so my planned asault was nipped in the bud.
Ah well, next year ain't that far away
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Moritz wrote:Posted By: phantomdeviant
Date Posted: 26 Jun 2007 at 8:21pm
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There is quite a lot of mullet in the Panmure basin off the Tamaki River. Haven't had a crack with a fly but will have to buy some bran ant have a go. Have fed them with rolled oats and they also go nuts. Managed to foul hook one on a 2kg spinning outfit and it was dynamite. Would love to tackle one on the fly. Didn't weigh him but he went just over 60cm and when "snagged" he was flanked by 2 other larger versions. They are aslo present in good numbers along the bank of the Tamaki and again I cant recall seeing a small one. Fast moving water here though and very tidal ------------- Skirt Pulla |
Posted By: Slab
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2007 at 9:34pm
| I remember years ago reading an Ausy article about fly fishing for grey mullet with a very small black dryfly when they are active on the surface.....never tried it but if it works it would sure be a blast. |
Posted By: 1000PA
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2007 at 6:52am
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Panmure Basin eh! I think I might try that place.
http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/member_profile.asp?PF=48025&FID=36 - phantomdeviant is there a best time or time of tide to fish there. I don't know if it'll be the same as the Kaipara.
Ross
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Posted By: swfkingi
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2007 at 8:46am
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Hi Ross
I tied some flies as per your photos , they even look like yours
,but I was wondering what type of bran you use?
I went for a trip over to Ohiwa harbour (Ohope) a few months back,
and had purchased the only type of bran I could find in the super market,
cant remember the name, but it floated for about 30 seconds, then sank!!!
 , and the fish didnt seem interested after that! |
Posted By: 1000PA
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2007 at 8:47am
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http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/member_profile.asp?PF=54694&FID=36 - swfkingi Hi there, been off line - overseas for a while.
I don't use any specific brand of Bran. There needs to be mullet around for it to work initially, the bran brings them around to congregate and feed. I've had times when they just don't respond but all fishing has that. I can only say to keep trying.
Ross
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Posted By: swfkingi
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2007 at 12:13pm
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Hi Ross
Thanks for your reply.
I kind of got the impression the the flies shown were meant to
replicate (as close as possible) the bran shape you were using?
So in theory, you could tie the same style fly, using white chenille, and
substitute bread for bran?
The day I was fishing, using the copies of your fly, and bran, there were
mullet, herrings and piper present.
They got real excited when the bran hit the water, and as I was fishing from the shore, and could see the bottom, I was able to observe the bran sink, and the fish loose interest.
Perhaps the water was too shallow and clear, and once I commenced
casting they got spooked?
But will keep on trying, the larger ones are beautiful smoked, so worth the effort.
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Posted By: Pole Dancer
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2007 at 6:40pm
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Brian I use a similar methodology for Piper... I use bread and then float a bread imitation among the crumbs.. works a treat. I just tie some loose white dubbing on the hook with a small piece of foam at the head to keep it afloat....
Can't speak for mullet as I haven't targetted them with it but Oatmeal works very well for piper also. Given what's been said here I can't see why it wouldn't work for mullet also.
 ------------- http://www.clarkreid.co.nz" rel="nofollow - www.clarkreid.co.nz FFF Certified Casting Instructor / Umpqua Designer Tier 
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Posted By: swfkingi
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2007 at 7:05pm
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Thanks Clarke, add a few of those to my order will ya Your actually a lot smarter than you look mate
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that fly looks like a bad hair day, but I bet it works a treat, good idea with that tiny bit of foam.Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2007 at 7:30pm
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Posted By: Pole Dancer
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2007 at 7:41pm
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I once told my old man "I'm not as dumb as I look"...
He responded... "You couldn't be".... ------------- http://www.clarkreid.co.nz" rel="nofollow - www.clarkreid.co.nz FFF Certified Casting Instructor / Umpqua Designer Tier
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Posted By: herby
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2007 at 9:18am
Surface feeding mullet.
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Posted By: Pole Dancer
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2007 at 11:53am
Certainly will Brian, in fact I have to ring the guy I have palmed your order off onto a bit later so it should be easy!
 Not sure what time frame you are looking at, it won't be quick old son...
I have just finished an order for NODrog, have almost completed a very longstanding order for Mudfish and am in the midst of an order of flies for a client who fishes the OneFly in Montana each year all while holding down a "normal job". First time I've had a "normal job" in years, bit of a wake call how lucky I've been.
This saturday I head to a pheasant shoot to run the dogs for the day leaving at 7 a.m., return home to a Coastguard function by 6.30 p.m. but have to be out by 9.30 to be at work at 10 pm until 6 a.m... thinking I might be a tad tired!!! While I will have all day Sunday free the tying might suffer until next week. ------------- http://www.clarkreid.co.nz" rel="nofollow - www.clarkreid.co.nz FFF Certified Casting Instructor / Umpqua Designer Tier
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Posted By: Pole Dancer
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2007 at 11:57am
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Awesome shots Herby!!!! ------------- http://www.clarkreid.co.nz" rel="nofollow - www.clarkreid.co.nz FFF Certified Casting Instructor / Umpqua Designer Tier
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Posted By: herby
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2007 at 4:54pm
| Cheers cicada. There was a loose school of about ten all feeding from the surface. Woulda been a mint time to have a crack. |