Mullet Fishing Tips
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Newbies Corner
Forum Description: If you're new to fishing this is the place to ask any questions about getting started ...
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=84711
Printed Date: 27 May 2026 at 10:10am
Topic: Mullet Fishing Tips
Posted By: Kevlar
Subject: Mullet Fishing Tips
Date Posted: 13 Nov 2012 at 4:13am
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Hi, I need some help catching big Mullets. I would also like to share some info I gathered online, which might help other anglers out there :). I know you can catch them with a casting net, but this is not what I want to do. Mullet is probably one of the most hardest fish to catch on a rod, because they tend to suck the bait, rather than snatch at the bait and hook itself. They will most likely take the bait off from the hook without you even knowing. I've caught small mullets (the size of my palm) using bread before but finding it hard to land the big ones. You could literally see them swimming just beneath the surface and some of them jump above the surface. In one area there are groups of big mullets. I've tried casting in that area, but they don't seem to be interested in my bait, mainly the little mullets are interested only, so what is the best way to get them all interested so I can fish for them using a rod? I have done some research online and found some sites like this: http://www.anglersmail.co.uk/fishing-tips/mullet-and-how-to-catch-the-thin-lipped-variety/ and http://www.worldseafishing.com/shore/how-to-catch-shore-mullet.html They mention using a spinner lure, which I am thinking of trying but not sure if it works in my area. Some tips i've gathered online:
So what other tips do you recommend? Also are there any good dough baits to make that attract Mullet? Thanks |
Replies:
Posted By: Jedijay
Date Posted: 13 Nov 2012 at 7:54am
Try a small piper hook with a piece of pilchard, use less than 6lbs for the trace and attach a float near the swivel, that always worked for me 
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Posted By: C A
Date Posted: 13 Nov 2012 at 8:19am
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dont think you were catching grey mullet, the ones you were catching would have been yellow eyed mullet. grey mullet are the most insanely frustrating fish, i have tried so many different things, sooo many times and still nothing has worked...have a read of this http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/grey-mullet_topic84686.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/grey-mullet_topic84686.html edit: the stuff you read online would most probably have been from overseas, the grey mullet are different to the ones here, you can catch them
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Posted By: Jedijay
Date Posted: 13 Nov 2012 at 8:43pm
The ones I caught were the yellow eye mullet, their awkward mouths make them harder to catch. I had better success with small bits of pilcards over dough. I would like to give grey mullet a go, always up for a challenge 
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Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 13 Nov 2012 at 8:52pm
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Yellow eye mullet are a different fish to grey mullet and are very easy to catch. A small hook depending on the size of the fish is needed. YEMs (yellow eye mullet) do get to 30cm or so but they usually inhabit deeper channels than the small ones which have a habit of feeding near the surface around structures. Grey mullet are a totally different proposition. What works overseas probably wont work here in NZ as they are a different species of fish even though they look similar. Some fly fishers have success catching them. They are very unlikely to take a spinner although i have skilfully managed to snag one. , They are great as a smoked fish - one of the best and a very underated bait. I use a net to catch them. |
Posted By: Kevlar
Date Posted: 13 Nov 2012 at 11:39pm
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Im 100% sure its a Grey mullet, the thin lipped ones. They have a tiny mouth. |
Posted By: Kevlar
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2012 at 12:01am
| I managed to snag them, its a lot faster =D |
Posted By: ycha223
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2012 at 12:40am
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This is the method my master in Hong Kong taught me, I improved it a little:
Rig:
Line - Flurocarbon Size 3 attachment line (0.285mm) with further flyer lines branching off it (those can be size 2.5 lines).
Hooks: size 14 loopless hooks (I use a specific Japanese hook, they have a very unique shape, my master said they are the best for any kind of fish, coz its much easier to hook them onto the fish and once they are hooked on, it's also impossible for the fish to fight it off)
Clip on weight (I use a 4B size weight coz my floating stick is a 4B one)
Floating stick (4B is good as it gives the stability even wReehen facing strong currents under the water) - the one with the glow stick attachment piece on top. + "space beans" (don't know what you call that in English...) to secure the position of the float stick.
Bait: Fresh white bread (throw the brown edges as berley to attract them first). use a scissor to cut the fresh white bread into small rectangular shape, when you hook the bread, only squeeze the top bit of the bread, so it attach onto the hook securely. Not the bottom part of the bread, this will ensure that the bread remain soft when soaked, mullets will suck the bread, and will only swallow the bread if it's soft, if it's hard, they will spit it out.
Rod:
Float rod, mine's 18 ft collapsible shimano float rod imported from Japan
 Main size 4 nylon line.Reel: Shimano Averno 2500
We only fish at night with this set up. On wharf, jetty, rocks whatever, as long the spot have fresh water running into saltwater (e.g. estauries, river month...etc). Put a glow stick on the float stick and it glows on the water
 Now you will ask with such thin equipment (e.g. rod, reel, line and hook) how you can catch big mullets? The secret is that you got to 'play' with the fish once its hooked on. Mullets are strong swimmers so at times if the fish is big (e.g. >3kg) it may take more than 15 minutes fighting with it. And you'll need one of the net thingy to help to lift it up once you see the fish on the surface of the water, the line is too thin if you force it up with your rod all your equipments will snap.
Good luck and have fun! Sea mullets taste way better than fresh water mullets.
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Posted By: ycha223
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2012 at 12:47am
Yea that's right the Grey Mullets. They tend to be much bigger than Yellow Eyed Mullets. We have both species in my home country, they share the similar habitat and food but when I came to NZ it was surprised that they eat fish flesh (overseas they only take bread or rice). It's fun to catch the Grey Mullet, they are strong swimmers
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smudge wrote:Posted By: ycha223
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2012 at 1:01am
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Grey Mullet (Caught in HK)
 Yellow Eyed Mullet (caught in NZ - best to use as live baits for Kahawai
 ) Both the Grey Mullet (bottom) and Yellow eyed Mullet (top two) steamed with soya
 Best way to cook a mullet
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Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2012 at 1:03am
| That's very interesting ycha. Have you caught grey mullet with those techniques in NZ? |
Posted By: Lethal
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2012 at 1:42am
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from NIWA... Grey mullet have a worldwide distribution and New Zealand is at the southern limit of their range. Hence, they are mainly found in the North Island, and only in the Cook Strait area during the summer months. Although primarily a marine species, grey mullet will penetrate considerable distances upstream. In the Waikato River they are found as far inland as Karapiro Dam and travel up the neighbouring Waipa River to Te Kuiti. However like the yelloweyed mullet, they must return to the sea to spawn. Grey mullet feed on detritus and plant material that they suck from the substrate. They are also known to feed by grazing the surfaces of aquatic plants. Grey mullet are large fish, commonly reaching 500 mm in length. They are regarded as a valuable food fish, and are particularly nice smoked because of the oily flesh. In many parts of the world they are farmed commercially, but in New Zealand most of the commercial catch comes from fishers operating on Kaipara and Manukau Harbour and in the lower reaches of the Waikato River. Tagging studies of grey mullet in this area showed that there was considerable movement of fish between the river and harbours, and that commercial and recreation fishers extracted a significant proportion of the grey mullet population. ------------- Thanks for everything you did for us Eric. may you rest in peace, You were one of the real legends of NZ recreational fishing |
Posted By: ycha223
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2012 at 4:19pm
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Hi sumdge,
No I haven't! I've just returned from HK actually, would love to give it a try but don't know of any places that hold Grey Mullet in my area (Birkenhead/North Shore). It was great fun fighting with the mullets
Anyone nearby know of any good spots where you can find them? |
Posted By: ycha223
Date Posted: 25 Nov 2012 at 4:24pm
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