I’d been planning a raid on the Llangennith, South Wales golden grey mullet for well over five years, especially having never caught one before, but it’s pretty much a 4-hour run from home, so getting a full day free for some pleasure fishing during the summer to get down there never seemed to arise due to work commitments. To put this right, way back in June, fishing buddy and WSF member Colin Albert and I picked a date we both could maybe make, 7th September, and vowed nothing would get in the way this time.

I’d been working away for the previous three weeks before the trip and came home to a weekend of paperwork that had to be complete before I left on the Monday. It was torture sitting in the office trying to work with a mind that kept wandering off to the mullet trip.

The weather wasn’t good either, all weekend in North Wales it rained with a persistent strong southwest wind, and it was much the same when I left in the early hours for Llangennith. But when Col and I met up just off the M4 the wind was light and the sun was trying hard to force through light grey cloud.

Down on the beach the surf was dying back after the recent blow and thankfully we couldn’t see any weed. There was a half decent surf up, but the surf tables were even and fairly long close in.

I chose to use a two-hook rig made from 25lb Fluorocarbon using adjustable neoprene tubing stops to hold clear beads and the snood swivel in place, and opted for 12lb Fluorocarbon hook lengths 15-inches long and size 6 Kamasan B940 Aberdeen hooks. Baits would be maddie rag. Interestingly Col had chosen to incorporate a swimfeeder into his rig to give more scent to help the mullet home in on the baits in the coloured water.

It was two hours before low water and we were under the impression that the mullet don’t really show until slack and the early flood, but on my second cast I reacted quickly to a series of rapid rattles on the rod tip and played out a lively fish that tried to run with the surf line, then doubled back and bored off out to sea, swirled and thrashed its tail on the surface, but succumbed to steady pressure. I couldn’t believe my luck when I slid my first golden grey mullet on to the sand. It weighed 1lb 5oz and gets my all time UK species count up to 96!

Just a short time later I watched Col strike in to a fish that fought the same way and I knew he’d also got his first golden grey, a fish about the same size.

Over low water some lads came across for a chat and they turned out to be WSF members, “Deejay” and “Barrelreef”, also Dean Gifford and Ossi, and later on “Blueskip”. Great to meet you, lads! After a good chat the lads went to the right of me and set up, again with GG’s in mind. 

I dinked out a flounder and Col got a bass and a weever, but the GG’s went quiet until about an hour after low water. I then missed a bite and Col beached two more golden greys, I caught up catching two in quick succession. We both missed bites and I lost a decent fish after playing it right in to the surf, then Col got another. The lads to the right were also catching fish!

I’d got in to the flow of fishing now and was concentrating hard. I’d quietly set my heart on getting a GG over 2lbs, and felt that with the surf tables as they were any bigger fish would be behind the second wave where the depth was slightly deeper, so I fished this area at about 30yds out.

First chuck I missed a fish having felt the weight of it for a few seconds. Second cast I caught a golden grey about the same weight as the first, followed by another shortly after. A couple of casts later, and with the tide well on the flood now, I felt a single pluck and the light lead slid off to the right. I struck and felt a solid resistance that suddenly steamed off to the right along the surf line. It hung out in the water, and then ran again. I backed the drag off as I was using light line, then the fish bored head first back in to the surf. I gradually came towards me, but went off on a run that must have taken about 10yds of line off the reel.

The fish splashed in the edge of the surf and I waited for a surf table to wash the fish ashore. It looked like it might go 2lbs, and when Col weighed it the scales dropped to 2lb 1oz. I was one happy bunny and for once a long planned pleasure trip had actually come off!

During the session Julian Blamey (Barrelreef) also picked up a cracking golden grey that looked to me to be close to 3lbs and I ran across to get a quick photo. Cracking fish, mate, well done!

I really enjoyed my very belated trip to Llangennith and to actually get some fishing done for a change instead of being behind the camera as is mostly the case. Col and I stopped for a bite to eat before going our separate ways, and talk inevitably turned to planning a trip for the GG’s come next year.

FOOTNOTE: The Saturday before we fished, a number of WSF members fished Llangennith for golden grey mullet, but with the main purpose of raising money for the RNLI. The meet was very well attended and they raised an incredible £2200, as many of you will know. I know as friends, and work regularly with RNLI lads all over the UK and Ireland, and there’s no better cause! Great credit goes to everyone involved on the day for raising so much money!