How to Catch Mullet Fish in Florida
The mullet, a popular bait and table fish in Florida, is a very unusual creature. It is one of the only fish that has a gizzard similar to a bird's, since it lives primarily on vegetable matter. This diet means that it cannot be caught with conventional live bait or artificial lures. Catching mullet requires using bait that suits their eating preferences, or abandoning fishing tackle altogether and taking a more direct approach with a cast net. Here are three different ways to catch mullet. Note that the items needed depend on which approach you take.
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Things You'll Need
- #6 or thinner hook
- Light spinning tackle
- Bread, chicken or pig feed
- Light fly rod
- Bread fly or similar
- Cast net
Instructions
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1
Catch mullet on light spinning tackle. Use a #6 or smaller thin wire hook and bait it with a piece of bread that you have compressed into a pellet with your fingers. Alternatively, visit your local feed store and ask for "laying pellets" for chickens or pig food pellets. Add a small split shot sinker a few inches above the bait to pull it under the water, then head out to where you can find mullet jumping. Try chumming the water with a few extra pieces of bread or feed, then cast toward the school of mullet and let your bait drift naturally to entice a hookup.
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2
Practice your fly fishing skills on mullet. Since they are not interested in insects, you will need to find a fly that appeals to a vegetarian. If you tie your own flies, you can get creative and see if you can mimic small bits of plant material, algae and other items that might appeal to a mullet. Use a fairly small hook for this type of fly. When fishing, use bread or chicken feed as described above to chum up some feeding excitement.
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3
Leave the fishing poles at home and take out your cast net. This is probably the most common method for catching mullet in Florida and the only legal method for commercial mullet fishing. Practice throwing the net until you can get it to open wide and land flat on the water. Find a pier or low bridge over relatively shallow water (mullet can dive to escape the net in deep water.) It helps to wear polarized sunglasses that cut the glare and allow you see into the water. Wait for a school of mullet to swim by and throw the net over them. Allow it to sink for a few seconds, then pull on the rope to bring in your catch.
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