Mullet fishing from shore and/or kayak

[MCerieiro]

Hi guys,

Well i eat mullet and i like it very much, of course they have to be caught in clean waters (like any other fish IMHO), over here i spear them mostly in agachon or indien.

And i cook them in several ways...bbq, fry, cooked in a pan with pasta and tomato souce :friday


here some pics of mullet:

 

[Mr. X]

Re: Circling mullet

I have some follow-up to my previous posts, above. I returned to the same spot at the weekend and had a very similar experience (for details see the Omer XXV thread), albeit with considerably more success this time. The critical factor was, I think, my new shorter, lighter gun, an Omer XXV 75cm with 18mm bands. On entering the chamber I saw the rear of a large mullet disappear round a boulder. When I followed, gingerly letting the speargun lead the way I encounter 2 medium size mullet (the larger fish had disappeared). I took one fish. Then I circled round but saw nothing the second time. However, I figured there were at least two mullet nearby, so I explored some nearby string-weed & was happily surprised to see a large mullet tail through the weed. I shot through the weed just as it was about to glide slowly behind a boulder. Another hit, probably a clean spine shot as it didn't struggle much at all.

Not sure what the morale of the story is. I'm tempted to say a smaller gun is the thing to use in shallow water conditions such as these (I certainly found my longer gun awkward there). However last year I hit a huge mullet in similar conditions at a different location with my bigger gun (90cm with 20mm rubbers) & the spear just bounced off the gill plate. Both the fish & I were stunned with surprise and stayed put for several seconds afterwards not knowing quite what to do.

BTW my larger fish this week was about 54/55cm about the same length as a 4lb fish I got last November. However, this fish weighed only 2.5lb. The head is quite large, so I am thinking this one might still be depleted after the hardships of winter.

 

[Mr. X]

Dispatching mullet - brain location

I find the usual rule of thumb for locating a fish's brain doesn't seem to result in the quick kill that I would normally expect for mullet. I've often wondered if mullet's brain is further forwards or backwards. After looking at the head of the last mullet I speared, it looks to me like the brain is quite far back (maybe a further 1 or 2 cm) and high in the skull. So a normal stab would miss (in front) & a diagonal stab back from the same place would too (below). I haven't confirmed this yet but it would explain what I've seen.

 

[Mr. X]

I tried the circle trick at a new location yesterday. It worked again, albeit in a different way. After spooking a fairly large mullet that was resting/sunning itself on a flat open flat bottom right up against a bed of short stringly weed (v. similar situation to the one I found sunning itself on top of a reef a few weeks ago). I fired but it was too quick (again). So I re-loaded and circled round. This time I encountered a large mullet (probably the same one) as I had just got beyond half way round the circle. It dithered & succumbed to the spear, 6" from the tail -- not the best location to spear a feisty mullet!

After stringing that one on my new belt stringer, I spooked a bass which appeared and disappeared in front & beneath me before I could react. I gave chase but lost track of it (do others give chase -- I know SA spearos do from the Len Jones book but never heard anyone mention else it). Then returned & encountered a fast moving mullet that appeared confused (perhaps seeing the strung mullet?) and succumbed to the spear. This one was smaller than it first appeared but still a decent fish.

The 75cm Omer XXV is working well on mullet but has yet to take its first bass (had one difficult bass shot yesterday but missed). BTW I am currently using a double wrap of spear-line, of which half is 3mm bungee. It was unnecessary for the fish taken so far but might have been necessary for the missed bass. Might try a single wrap but with half bungee next.

BTW I was bored at one point on the other side of the bay, before encountering the above fish, and decided to clear my mask while on aspetto by blowing air into my mask, which caused large, noisy bubbles which to my surprise quickly brought in large wrasse & small pollock rushing to see what was about (perhaps used to fisherman dropping lobster pots or cleaning fish?). Unfortunately no bass or mullet though.

 

[phishfood]

Hi everyone, new to this site so i just thought
id post some of my experiences spearing for
mullet in the west of ireland. i spear them off the end
of a breakwater at a nearby harbour. it runs onto a beach
that is blueflag so i reckon it must be clean enough certainly
they taste great!! which everyone who tries them seems
to find surprising.

i have the main spot down to about a 3m patch in about 3m of water,
i can pretty much guarantee they will be there. i find that if i spook
them and circle around they will be back so your circling technique
is definitely the way forward Mr.X.

reckon the thin one you speard may have just spawned. think they
spawn at a similar time to bass which is may and june. in ireland
you are not allowed keep bass at this time.

i tend to dispatch them by breakin the neck. grab in under the
gills and force the head back, seems to be quick and also lets
out a good bit of blood. so no need to bleed. they do however
have nerve twitches for ages after, had one on tuesday dead &
gutted 40mins and still spasmed as i filleted it. felt kinda creepy

great reading everyones tales of spearing the humble mullet!!

 

[scottwilson]

if Im not pressed for time, I brain the fish,descale and then gut the fish. I find this effective when fishing for pollack , its almost like "burling" if thats the right spelling that the ozzys do to bring the fish closer.

 

[Huw]

It has been awesome reading throught this thread as i do enjoy a good hunt for mullet.

I just got back from south africa, and it was weird to see mullet exactly the same as i hunt here in the uk just swimming along side a great white . I'll post some pics soon

damn i need to get hunting soon!!

Huw

 

[Padaxes]

I've mainly been getting mullet recently (course I was thinking they were bass because I`m a newbie but I`m over that now).

I`m not sure about their brain location or even if stabbing them in the brain makes any difference! They carry on fighting long after they are dead, my last decent sized mullet confirmed this as I was still fighting after I tried to brain it I chopped its whole head off then began to gut it in the water, it slipped out of my hand and started to swim off! Crazy.

I hunt them near a harbour, the water isnt dirty as such but can be murkey with rotten seaweed etc in the area, but I find they taste great, not quite as nice as bass but very nearly. The nice thing about them is that in low visibility conditions if you find them feeding they sometimes thrash around making them nice and visible even through the murk.

 

[Mr. X]

Interesting "experiment" Padaxes. That explains the difficulty in dispatching mullet - they move even when dead. A Zoologist friend used to tell stories about their experiments. It sounds like mullet might be like frogs (and perhaps chickens?) where some of the activity we normally think of as brain activity takes place in the top section of the spinal cord rather than in the skull/brain itself. I seem to recall they insert a seeker into the spinal column to finish all activity - it was almost 25 years ago though.

 

[James T]

I have found that Mullet are the worst fish in UK waters for 'waking up' when I thought they were dead. I have lost a couple of fish when after braining them with a knife I have detached them from the spear just to have the swim off violently out of my hands and escape me - despite a knife through the head.

I always try to get them on the stringer now before I take the spear out.

Oh and one other thing - I put the stringer through the head as the gill plates are weak on mullet and they can get torn off by wave action if just threaded through the mouth and gills.

 

[scottwilson]

I stick my knife 2 cm behind the eyes on the top of the head, then the stringer thru the eye sockets. Makes the fish look a bit grim but never lost one when using this method . ive recently started removing the gills aswell as it seem to shorten the struggle.

 

[REddie]

I have found that Mullet are the worst fish in UK waters for 'waking up' when I thought they were dead. I have lost a couple of fish when after braining them with a knife I have detached them from the spear just to have the swim off violently out of my hands and escape me - despite a knife through the head.

I always try to get them on the stringer now before I take the spear out.

Oh and one other thing - I put the stringer through the head as the gill plates are weak on mullet and they can get torn off by wave action if just threaded through the mouth and gills.

Whilst mullet can be a bit of a pain they are nothing compared to a good sized dogfish (lazarus-fish). After completely severing the spinal column they will regularly freak you out, when you are settling down for some aspetto, by swimming right in front of your mask, between your legs, etc. Worth the effort though - they go great in a thai curry. That is provided you have the nack (and patience) for getting the skin off!

 

[strangelove]

What I normally do is rip off the gills, that normally make them quite right away.

 

[scottwilson]

Whilst mullet can be a bit of a pain they are nothing compared to a good sized dogfish (lazarus-fish). After completely severing the spinal column they will regularly freak you out, when you are settling down for some aspetto, by swimming right in front of your mask, between your legs, etc. Worth the effort though - they go great in a thai curry. That is provided you have the nack (and patience) for getting the skin off!

cut around head and gills
Nail head to board
use flat nose pliers and rips skin off.

or

gut
cut off head ,fins and tail
cut in half then slice skin off

saw them do this on REX HUNT (dirty old man)

Do you leave the doggies for a while before you cook them?

 

[James T]

I found they are a bit like thornback rays that the meat tastes better if left for a while or soaked in water - otherwise they have a whiff and flavour of ammonia.

I don't know what the best treatment is for this - I have heard variously that the meat should be frozen first, that it should be soaked for 24 hours before eating and also should just be left for a while. Certainly eating fresh out of the sea is not my favourite.

 

[Old Man Dave]

All rays and many (most) members of the shark family have a strong scent and flavour of ammonia when fresh. This is due to the fact that they do not have a bladder but excrete urine through their flesh/skin.

Rays should be winged as soon as possible (in the boat/on the beach) and then skinned as soon as you get them home. They then need a couple of days in the fridge to rest before eating.

Horrible smelly, slimey things ray but loads of people love eating them. They are the mainstay of our commercial trawlers in the CI. Personally caught shed loads of them to nearly 40lb in my commercial days. Only take one nowadays if requested by friends/family. Strangely we get next to no thornbacks which are the main inshore species but rather we get blondes plus some small eyed and undulates.

We see plenty of small ones at night but the bigger ones require deeper water and stronger tides. We also get some electric rays and some sting rays but I regard them as inedible (unless your Italian - according to spaghetti.

Dave

 

[James T]

This is due to the fact that they do not have a bladder but excrete urine through their flesh/skin.

Hmm - guess I have alot in common with them after a couple of hours spearing Daverofl

 

[James T]

Dave is there an easy way to get the skin off the wings - I struggled with it last time I did it.

 

[spaghetti]

. We also get some electric rays and some sting rays but I regard them as inedible (unless your Italian - according to spaghetti.
Dave

True! But you see this is a poor country and we get our food out of everything that comes at hand (the sperm of male bluefin tunas, the ovaries of female tunas, the eggs of golden mullet, the gonads of sea urchins...the ancient Romans were mad about a sauce made with fermented excrements of sardines, but that's out of fashion now).
The electric ray is used mostly in long stewed soups or with very strong ingredients such as peppers, hot spices et cetera, so to loose the taste of rays and use them just as a source of proteins.

While we're talking of mullets, I advocate the eggs of Golden mullets as really, really good just slightly salted, dried and then grated on spaghetti with a thin line of olive oil. That's a dish!

 

[strangelove]

While we're talking of mullets, I advocate the eggs of Golden mullets as really, really good just slightly salted, dried and then grated on spaghetti with a thin line of olive oil. That's a dish!

I agree !

Deep fry mullet eggs are my favority !