Thanks for sharing Colin - quality information there.

 

THANKS

 

Thanks Colin, very informative

 

u fish burry port?

 

Not fished there Welsh-Man. Is it a good spot?

 

u fish burry port?

No never been there

 

Very informative video I'm still trying have caught many mullet on bait but want to get one on fly! Try again tomorrow with the information you have given. John

 

Best of luck John.

 

Great video, really enjoyed watching that

 

Quality information there as always Colin. Sad I couldn't join you but I was in North Devon on the lead up to the Festival on another mission. Managed to get out with a fly rod to harass the local Bass though so all was good (managed a few but all very small).

Failed to retain the shooting trophy though so next year I may give the gun a rest and break out the fly rod.

SCG

 

It would be good to see you there SCG. The mullet trophy could have your name on it

 

It would be good to see you there SCG. The mullet trophy could have your name on it

You flatter me Colin, you are clearly the master of that domain, but at a festival there is always some luck at play. You never know.

 

I've just found that video on YouTube, there's so much information crammed into the clip. Thanks a lot, I'll try to put that all into good use this year as I have a estuary mark filled with thick lips close to home. Where can I get some diawl backs like I'm the video the ones I find online aren't the same , cheers :thumbsup:

 

Hi Joe. I'm glad you found the vid useful. Here's a link to the company which ties my mullet patterns. Good luck with the thicks. Colin.

http://www.selectafly.com/mullet-580-c.asp

 

Great vid Colin,thank you.love fishing for gg's in the surf.blessed with great beach's here in s.wales.regards chris

 

Chris, as soon as they're about in numbers, I'll break the fly rod out for a day with you on the GG's. Just let me know.

SCG

 

Great vid Colin,thank you.love fishing for gg's in the surf.blessed with great beach's here in s.wales.regards chris

Glad you liked it Chris. Yes, you are lucky to live in South Wales.....mullet capital of the world.

 

Blimey Charlie, there's a man who really knows his stuff. Great video. I'll be trying to catch one on the fly this year. I know where they'll be.......

 

Fabulous info.
I'm inspired.
5wt outfit on order!
Thanks.

 

Fabulous info.
I'm inspired.
5wt outfit on order!
Thanks.

Good stuff! How's the mullet fishing in Alderney?

 

Good stuff! How's the mullet fishing in Alderney?

Pretty good! The thick lips are not as prolific or the size of years gone by (double figure fish caught each winter) but still plenty about. Traditionally a winter target for us. But there are large shoals basking in the shallows in the summer, and feeding on maggots in places too.
We've rarely bothered fishing for them in summer, but I reckon they would be great to get on the fly.
There are good numbers of Golden Greys here, usually caught on fish flesh, having been 'shirvied' into feeding (groundbait). But they do frequent a small harbour which dries out at low and so I will look at intercepting them as they come in on the tide.
Only in the last couple of years we've been catching thin lips too. They are prolific (and huge) in Guernsey and Jersey so I though I'd try with a mepps and rag here in Alderney. It was great when I caught one on my first outing!
So we have the potential for a mullet Grand Slam.

Looks like a fun summer coming up!

 

Pretty good! The thick lips are not as prolific or the size of years gone by (double figure fish caught each winter) but still plenty about. Traditionally a winter target for us. But there are large shoals basking in the shallows in the summer, and feeding on maggots in places too.
We've rarely bothered fishing for them in summer, but I reckon they would be great to get on the fly.
There are good numbers of Golden Greys here, usually caught on fish flesh, having been 'shirvied' into feeding (groundbait). But they do frequent a small harbour which dries out at low and so I will look at intercepting them as they come in on the tide.
Only in the last couple of years we've been catching thin lips too. They are prolific (and huge) in Guernsey and Jersey so I though I'd try with a mepps and rag here in Alderney. It was great when I caught one on my first outing!
So we have the potential for a mullet Grand Slam.

Looks like a fun summer coming up!

I'm booked up for a trip to Jersey in late July for 3 days to explore what the island has to offer in terms of bass, mullet etc. Hopefully Jersey is as 'fishy' as Alderney sounds

 

I'm sure it is!
They do have mahoosive thin lips there, in fact a guy I know over there fishes exclusively for the thinnys as they fight so hard.
Bass fishing is pretty epic in Jersey too. They have a huge tidal range, over 12m on springs, so wading and fishing the incoming tide must be great but dangerous too!

 

Never tried for Mullet - but going to really give it a crack this year - and got a few spots in mind. One shallow coastal and two estuaries, a large one (Kingsbridge) and a small fast changing one, fed by small river

To a novice, the ones I have seen look like Golden Grey, fairly big/thick across shoulders?

Advice seems to be mainly shrimp, bug, larvae patterns.
Do the take surface flies, apart from 'bread' ones? (There heads always seem down when I observe them)

The 'wet' ones, do they ever go for gently stripped small baitfish imitators?

And, shrimp/bug ones, better just to cast them near and let them do their thing, or good to twitch them lightly?

If there was one tip, one fly, what would you guys start with?

Thank you.

 

Never tried for Mullet - but going to really give it a crack this year - and got a few spots in mind. One shallow coastal and two estuaries, a large one (Kingsbridge) and a small fast changing one, fed by small river View attachment 775425

To a novice, the ones I have seen look like Golden Grey, fairly big/thick across shoulders?

Advice seems to be mainly shrimp, bug, larvae patterns.
Do the take surface flies, apart from 'bread' ones? (There heads always seem down when I observe them)

The 'wet' ones, do they ever go for gently stripped small baitfish imitators?

And, shrimp/bug ones, better just to cast them near and let them do their thing, or good to twitch them lightly?

If there was one tip, one fly, what would you guys start with?

Thank you.

Here's a link to an article which provides the basics for catching mullet on fly.....http://eat-sleep-fish.co.uk/content/2013/02/chasing-british-bonefish

It should answer most of your questions but the best way to answer them is to get out there and give it a go.
The larger, thicker fish tend to be thick lipped mullet. Next largest are thins, followed by golden greys. To give you a comparison, the record thick weighed 14+lb, thin lip weighed 7.5lb and golden grey 3.5lb.
On their day mullet will chase anything, baitfish, shrimp, idotea etc. The most effective method however is to dead drift a team of flies to a shoal of fish feeding in a current.
If you are looking for flies, Selectafly offer a full range of mullet flies with instruction on how to fish them.
Looking forward to reading your catch reports

 

Here's a link to an article which provides the basics for catching mullet on fly.....http://eat-sleep-fish.co.uk/content/2013/02/chasing-british-bonefish

It should answer most of your questions but the best way to answer them is to get out there and give it a go.
The larger, thicker fish tend to be thick lipped mullet. Next largest are thins, followed by golden greys. To give you a comparison, the record thick weighed 14+lb, thin lip weighed 7.5lb and golden grey 3.5lb.
On their day mullet will chase anything, baitfish, shrimp, idotea etc. The most effective method however is to dead drift a team of flies to a shoal of fish feeding in a current.
If you are looking for flies, Selectafly offer a full range of mullet flies with instruction on how to fish them.
Looking forward to reading your catch reports

Got to laugh - even identified the wrong species!
Ha!

Thanks for reply. Will look at that article, if not seen already, and already bookmarked Selectafly on your recommendation. Ordered some trout dries and they arrived in double quick time and looked great. Good tip that.

When you say 'teams if flies' - all the same, or like Czech nymphing (all depths and options on one tippet)?

Thank you!

 

...When you say 'teams if flies' - all the same, or like Czech nymphing (all depths and options on one tippet)?

Thank you!

Hi Lips,

Team of flies means different flies (usually). Just like fishing for trout, you have a point fly and then a dropper or two. If you aren't yet a competent caster AND it's windy, personally I'd just opt for a single fly on the point. That way you'll spend more time fishing and less time untangling your flies.

Which flies you fish and where you fish them all depends on conditions but all the usual trout set-ups apply including washing-line rigs and klink & dink (you can get lucky with the indicator fly if you fish a deerhair bread pattern).

If you're relatively new to fly fishing (and I mention this for other readers benefits) also check the end of your line (tippet) now and again for 'extra knots'. It's quite amazing that a poorly executed cast can put an overhand knot in the tippet but it can and it will. I was plagued with them at one stage due to a flaw creeping into my casting and they seriously weaken the line (by about half the b.s.) so deal with them as you find them.

See you soon.

SCG

 

Here's a link to an article which provides the basics for catching mullet on fly.....http://eat-sleep-fish.co.uk/content/2013/02/chasing-british-bonefish

It should answer most of your questions but the best way to answer them is to get out there and give it a go.
The larger, thicker fish tend to be thick lipped mullet. Next largest are thins, followed by golden greys. To give you a comparison, the record thick weighed 14+lb, thin lip weighed 7.5lb and golden grey 3.5lb.
On their day mullet will chase anything, baitfish, shrimp, idotea etc. The most effective method however is to dead drift a team of flies to a shoal of fish feeding in a current.
If you are looking for flies, Selectafly offer a full range of mullet flies with instruction on how to fish them.
Looking forward to reading your catch reports

Superb article.
Answers all my questions, and more.
Brilliantly written too.
Respect.

 

Are there any particular weather conditions, which the mullet prefere to feed in?

 

Thanks, Graham.
Yes, looking forward to sitting at your knee and listening intently to tips.


Still get the odd over-hander. Just when I think I have it sussed I am taught a lesson.
Getting there though. Can go a fair few days in tricky conditions now, so hoping estuaries will be a breeze by the time I get to it.

Don't know why, but find the idea of Czech nymphing a bit unappealing. Blinkered about it probably. No doubt I will try it grudgingly one day and be converted, so will try to remain open minded.

Look forward to seeing you.
All best,
Ben

Czech nymphing! Got to say I'm with you on that one. It's like soft plastics to a die hard top water enthusiast - just never going to light a fire. It catches fish but I prefer other methods at the expense of numbers. I just can't get excited by it.

As for sitting at my knee, I'm flattered, but if you're going to spend time listening to someone about how to catch Mullet it's got to be Colin ( Mulletfly). My affair with Mullet has been an on/off thing as I flit between mistresses that are the other species.

Graham

 

Hi Chris. I have caught mullet under all types of weather imaginable, in scorching sunshine and total darkness. Stages of the tide however, are crucial. That's why it is a good idea to choose one mark to begin with and fish it as regularly as possible at all stages of the tide to discover the most productive periods and areas.

 

Thanks for such an informative and inspiring video Colin. I've just moved to West Wales, and although I've caught bass on the fly in the Teifi estuary I've always ignored the mullet, which normally precede them- mainly because I was under the impression they were nigh on impossible to tempt. Can't wait to start learning!