Greeny, I teach technology, but have got 3 English "O" Levels.
Speared a mullet today. Could have caught loads, but one for the pot was enough. They generally taste okay but as mentioned their habit of hanging around harbours, estuaries, drains and sewer pipes puts some people off.
If most people saw what pigs eat (including each others shit) then they'd never eat another pork chop.
Speared my mullet in the open sea well away from any nasties but while I wouldn't target them near sewers it doesn't bother me. They convert what they eat into firm white flesh, so I eat a few.
Mullet are often targeted in spearo competitions if the rules allow. This can lead to mass slaughter. One reason I'm no longer a comp spearo.
Spear one, try it and see what you think. It won't poison you.
Sometimes I think mullet tastes better than bass. Bass costs ten times the price of mullet. It's a bit of a fashion thing. Twenty years ago Angler fish (monk fish) were only used to bait crab pots, now they're "in fashion" and posh restaurants serve them at a huge price. A similar thing is happening with gurnards. Perhaps it will be mullet next.
One last point. We've been talking about the common thick lipped grey mullet. The smaller rarer golden grey mullet has a different feeding system. It eats worms etc and is itself a delicious fish to eat. Much better than bass or bream, well in my opinion anyway.
Cheers
Dave
