Dave Lewis guides you through the float fishing tackle and tactics to catch the elusive thick lipped mullet
The thick lipped grey mullet is an inshore species, often be found in freshwater. Thick lips are invariably the species you’ll see cruising in tidal estuaries, harbours and marinas around the coast, often swimming in water barely deep enough to cover their dorsal fin. The fact that mullet are so often visible means that anglers frequently spend an inordinate amount of time trying to catch them. However, unless they have the correct technique, rarely do they succeed. The key to catching mullet is firstly to get them feeding confidently. Groundbaiting is the way to achieve this.
You can often turn up at your chosen venue and start introducing the groundbait while waiting for the fish arrive and start to feed. A bucket consisting of a couple of loaves of bread mixed with water to create a sloppy mush introduced on a little and often basis will do the trick. The addition of fish oil or any of the multitude of additives available in tackle shops can help.
A more effective way to plan your mullet fishing campaign is to introduce the groundbait in the area you intend to fish over a period of several days before you actually fish. This can be achieved by feeding bread mash into the area over the course of a few days, ideally at the same time of day or stage of tide, which should be the same time as when you eventually plan to fish. If this is not possible an effective alternative is to tie an old onion sack filled with bread as close as possible to where you will be fishing, which is an especially effective technique for non-tidal harbours and marinas.
TACKLE
Depending on the circumstances of the venue you are fishing, float fishing is one of the most effective ways to catch mullet. A float allows you to accurately control the depth at which your bait fishes, and if fishing flowing water a float will allow you to trot the bait long distances back downtide in order to reach the spookiest of fish. Of course, a float is also a perfect visual indicator to show when a fish has taken you bait!
A medium carp rod and fixed spool reel is the perfect outfit for float fishing for mullet, but a spinning rod or even a light bass rod makes a perfectly acceptable alternative. Using line as light as possible will allow the fish to really show you what they are capable of in terms of prolonged, hi-speed runs. When fishing in and around harbours and marinas with moored boats, pontoons and other submerged snags, the conditions generally dictate the use of heavier tackle. Under such circumstances I would suggest using monofilament line between 8 - 12lb, which has the inherent strength to give you some chance of controlling a hooked fish. On such tack
