How many times has someone said " Christ, Mullet are nigh on uncatchable".

Well, iIremember when I started mulleting in earnest -yes, I will contest they will not just jump on a hook and swin towards you nicely. Though, with a little forthought and preperation, they are indeed catchable and my oh my will they give a full account of themselves. 

There are articles dotted around online from authors such as Mike Ladle and Leaon Roskilly. These are indeed a valueable resource for anyone venturing into mullet fishing for the first time.

Do I need specialist equipment to fish for mullet?

No is the short answer. Any light weight match or feeder rod with an average test curve of 1.25lb through to 2lb at the top will suffice only too well.
Mainline 6lb 0r 8lb mono is ideal with this sort of fishing.  3 way swivels and small normal swivels, some beads, and waggler or controller floats will sufice, then fluro carbon for hook traces.

Well you have the kit, so what do i do next? Find the fish. Usually, they are creatures of habit  and will appear at certain points on certain tides and times. Though be warned, this also works with spring and neap tides they change where they go.

As a starter they will be on north corner on ebb tides, stonehouse creek on high water, plym 2 hours before high water. This should get you started for a few fish.

How do I catch them?

Bread is the killer bait for mullet pre bait to get them feeding and then wait either float fish at the feeding depth. As soon as the floats twitches under, strike. They will spit the bait at a seconds notice so you have to be quick.

If ledgering the bottom, wait for bites since they may come as the weight goes through the water.
A small knock will be nuisacnce fish such as a wrasse, bass, pollock, or rockling ect. A mullet take will bend the tip right down anything from 1 to 5 times on average. STRIKE STRIKE STRIKE.
Hold the rod and be ready where ever possible for they will take with out warning on occasion.

Groundbait:  The old favorite here is mushed mackeral guts with bread and balled in to get them feeding or tie an onion sack under where your fishing full of grounbait.
Personally, I only feed when and where I have to, using a homemade dry mix that gives a wonderfull cloud in the water and triggers feeding almost instantly.

If ledgering, then use a paternost rig on a 3 way swivel and flurocarbon trace length arount 6 -8 inches only.

Most important tip of all, be very very quiet................

TIPS:-

Mullet turn up in the strangest of places. I have found them in the depths of winter in sub zero conditions when they  should have all disappeared up a river.  So, never give up on them - they are there.

Lines - always use the best lines that you can afford. You will lose little tackle, so for a cost of 3-4 breakaway leads you have great flurocarbon trace materials. Though use mono on the mainline since flurocarbon does not stand well to best cast repeatedly.

Use a bait puch where possable. I have an special puch that I purchased from Clive's for less than a tenner. It saves bending down every two minutes and back pain is a thing of the past.

Specialist equipment:

It is never ending my favorite combo is the diawa porky pig rod seconded only by the storn specialist mullet/ barbell 1.5t/c rod matched with a pair of shimano stradic gtmb 2500 reels.
Berkley transition flurocarbon or vanish and ultima mainline.
Kamasan treables size 14 and drenan specialist boilie hooks in size 8
small tackle box with terminal tackle and pre loaded waggler floats, float stops beads etc
ESP controller floats 5g, 10g and 15g for surface fishing at distance.

Though you do not need this gear i only use it because unless i am fly fishing i am after mullet.

Venue tips:

River Plym: 2 hours before and after hight water under the underpass of the motorway and folow them to the weit on foot.

Pottery Quay: Fish the ebb tide only the pull of flood tided down there are too strong and float fishing is dead in the water and ledgering will not hold the bottom.

Stonehouse railing by the butchers pub: Fish 2 hours before and after low water they turn up when the disapear and they will they have headed back inyto stonehouse creek.

North Corner: Fish are always there ixswear they sit under the pontoon though turn of tide are the best with out doubt here, prebait havily and watch out ofr swans dont surface fish unless you want a bloody big swan atking your hook and trace with it.

There are 4 venues that are easy to fish and contain big fish just have to catch them.

Grounbait in more detail:

Carp anglers for many years have used dry groundbaits to fish and have indeed used method feeders for feeding a strong mix of smeels and food stuffs so i tried it and indeed it works.
Try a korda or preston inovations methos feeder they act as a weight and running ledger rig there.
Groundabit mix:
this is for a 30 kilo mix that is made up and then stored in an air tight bucket,

Bread crumb fine white: X 10kg
Hemp seed                            X 5kg
Marine halibut mix           X 6kg
Crushed hemp seed           X 4kg
Mullet by sensas                 X 5kg

Mix it well and hand feed or wet it to make a method mix then dont introduce too much bread it brings fish to the swin you dont want too many food items for fish to feed on. Then introduce flaked break, a little but not too much - the groudbait saves money on the volumes of bread that you want so it isn't as bad as you might think.

If anyone wants more advanced tips or a meet then feel free to pm me through the site

tight lines all.