Strangford lough mullet,4-9-07

Message

#1 Post by **Davy Murdoch** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 6:43 pm

People:myself,ronald

Duration:2hrs

Tide:high

Weather:cloudy,calm

Bait:bread

Rigs:waggler floats

Results:mullet

Catch and Release:: Yes

Report:We headed over to strangford lough for a spot of mullet bashing hoping to see the big shoals that have been there for the past week but when we arrived at the spot there was only a few small shoals around.We decided to give it a go anyway as there was a few bigger fish moving 100 yards out from the shore.After we groundbaited a couple of areas we started to fish but with little success so we moved further out towards the few fish that were around.
I threw out a few handfuls of crumb and let it drift towards the mullet then cast my bait on top of it.As the free offerings drifted i spotted a fish taking a piece just behind my float then it turned for my hook bait and buried the float.When i struck i thought it was only about 3lb and tightened the drag so i could get it to the net quickly.It wasn`t fighting very hard but after 5mins i realised it must be a bit bigger as i couldn`t get it near the net so i guessed it must be about 4lb.Ronald suggested that we should use the cloud of muck we had disturbed to ambush it with the net so i tightened the drag more and really started to bully the fish,not too bothered if it came off.I finally got it within range of ronald and the net so he took a swipe in the dirty water and the mullet slid into the net.
We both nearly choked when we saw it properly for the first time and rushed back to dry land.Had i caught my first specimen mullet

We guessed it would be just over 5lb but when it was weighed it bounced the scales round to 5lb 15.5oz.Happy days,after a whole summer of trying to get a 5lb+ mullet i was rewarded with a whopper.It might not have fought very hard but its made my year.Next stop 6lb+

#2 Post by **lumpy** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 6:58 pm

great fish davy, what hooklenght were you using for them

#3 Post by **Davy Murdoch** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 10:10 pm

cheers lumpy,i was using 6lb flurocarbon.Seems to be working well for me this year,i`ve had 17 mullet so far.

#4 Post by **Ronald** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:05 pm

The smug smile says it all

cracking fish though .

#5 Post by **stevecrow74** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:10 pm

Ronald wrote:The smug smile says it all cracking fish though .

sure right about the smile... any mullet that size would have me with a grin from ear to ear...

very nice fish Davy.. keep up the good work

#6 Post by **contender** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 12:04 pm

excellent, well done. a very nice fish

#7 Post by MC » Thu Sep 06, 2007 4:58 pm

fantastic fish mate, its good to see that all the effort and patience paid off

#8 Post by **Drew** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 1:29 pm

Nice one Mr. Murdoch!

#9 Post by **Davy Murdoch** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 12:43 pm

Cheers,i would never say i deserve to catch any fish but i`ve put in alot of hours this year trying to get this mullet so maybe i did just a bit

,It just proves you should never give up and it`ll happen when you least expect it.

#10 Post by **pete** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 3:00 pm

A right smug head on him

Well done Davy, you put a lot of effort into getting that speci

#11 Post by **Davy Murdoch** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:51 pm

Cheers pete.I dont think the mullet looks smug at all,confused but not smug

#12 Post by **nifisher** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 7:05 pm

Excellent fish. I have watched Henry Gilby fish for Mullet and they seemed to drive him mad!! Well all fish seem to actually. are they hard to catch?

Jonny

#13 Post by **Davy Murdoch** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:53 pm

I think anyone who fishes for mullet will tell you they are the most annoying fish in the sea but also very rewarding when you actually catch one.The problem i`ve found is they taste or nose the bait,sometimes even smashing it with their tail but not actually taking it all in the mouth.I`ve watched them hit the bread three or four times to sink it or knock it off the hook before taking it.Im no expert but i think the trick is to hold back from striking when they first take the bait and wait for the float to move and hope it doesn`t spit the bread out by the time it takes you to strike.
I`ve fished for them around 40-50(maybe more) times since May this year and had 18 mullet landed,double that hooked but lost and countless hitting the bread.
That should give you an idea what to expect if you ever try for them