Mullet Fishing 2021: Fishing Days

Latest:  09/11/21:  1/12 - didn't know at the time, but this was to be the last fish of 2021. As usual, the tide was streaming in, and we had just passed 'A-O', so I was getting more than a bit anxious - I was going to have to didi out of there 'mos rikky-tikk. Then the inevitable happened, and the float disappeared; thankfully, it was not what could have otherwise been a huge and therefore time-consuming fish, and I was able to get it in fairly promptly. Very pleased to have caught this one, on a day with only that one bite.

08/11/21:  3/06 - very few encouraging signs, but some groundbait went in, and after a while, there came an unexpected take, the float sliding away very deliberately. Once heaved away from the pontoons, this one put up some stubborn resistance - a pretty solid fish, with plenty of power in its tail, and exactly what was required to put a shine on the day.

22/10/21:  3/03, 2/12, 1/14, 2/04 - with a good hard-fighting fish safely in the net at the first venue, the pressure was off, and it then turned into a highly enjoyable afternoon at the second location. Fairly accurate long-range float placement was the order of the day, and when it hit the right spot, there was usually a bite, after a relatively short wait. As the tide dropped, I was pretty much 'bassed out', and the mullet were either no longer amenable, or maybe had just moved on. Couldn't complain, with four fish for the day - magic.

15/10/21:  1/15 - keeping the pattern of successes going, with a very welcome mullet after all optimism had already caught the last train home.

13/10/21:  3/02 - another disgruntled customer who ploughed away straight towards the complaints desk, remaining unapologetically belligerent until the old string bag brought its prolonged tantrum to an eventual conclusion.

29/09/21:  4/02 - I could just make out the white float tip in the dark, and then I couldn't. No obvious snags, so I was able to approach this particular problem without any uncomfortable heaving, the fish seemingly lacking a bit of direction, as they often do in the dark. It clearly knew where the bank was though, and wasn't having any of that. Took some persuading, but was eventually 'talked around'.

23/09/21:  1/02 - only a little chap, who just showed his lack of experience by doing something a bit ill-considered, immediately before the bathers and paddle-boarders put paid to any further opportunities.

21/09/21:  4/00 - having an enjoyable catch-up with DaveC, and things were getting a bit tasty, with a group of fish pigging down some surface baits. Set shallow, my hookbait had just disappeared into the gloom when the float slid away, the sort of bite that says 'expect a solid thump', but often, inexplicably, doesn't necessary deliver. Imagine my delight when a very stroppy hooked fish erupted from the water, and then dragged me around the dance floor for a few uncomfortable minutes, including a brief snagging in some bladder wrack. It turned out to be a bit larger than we had both initially thought - very happy.

19/09/21:  2/09, 3/01 - just a short session, but it was worth it. The first lively fish came quite early on, the light having just 'come up'; this is always apparent in the photos, where the quality and direction of the light is such that I seem to look 10 years older, or just plain ill. The second fish, although not much larger, was a different proposition altogether, and gave me a bit of a battering for a minute or so, before settling down into a totally unhelpful and determined pattern of resistance. Very relieved to see it all end well.

17/09/21:  2/08, 3/03, 2/06, 2/09 golden-grey - quite chilly at daybreak, but two argumentative fish ultimately decided to throw caution to the winds, then contrived to do everything imaginable except give themselves up, so we were off to a very good start. After a move, there were thankfully more fish to come, and again the day ended with four. The last one was particularly noteworthy, with an absolute 'rocket' bite, the strike then in progress, and the float reappearing... Not expecting anything good to happen, it was soon apparent that I'd somehow fluked a hookup, and the erratic behaviour of the fish during the fight should have tipped me off that it was a goldie. Once I saw the elegant fins, it all suddenly became so clear... Fortunately, I remembered to take a couple of ID shots of its teeth, on this occasion.

15/09/21:  3/04, 4/05, 3/08, 2/03 - another above-average day, with three good fish at the first stop, the largest putting up some particularly dogged resistance, involving a fair bit of unseemly begging on my part. After a move, picked up a bonus fish at a second venue, a pretty good outing.

09/09/21:  3/10 - another mullet that waited until I was in danger of becoming a victim of the rapidly-flooding tide, then made its move. Probably realising my plight, it then refused any invitations to inspect the net, and it was with some relief that I finally overcame its reluctance. A quick photo, then it was time to get the next express stagecoach out of Dodge.

07/09/21:  3/09 - I had just packed up the gear, ready to make a quick move, and the water was getting uncomfortably deep. The float was suddenly gone, and a large-ish silvery missile burst from the water on the strike (which was too hard, as usual...). Mindful that it was quite a good fish on the business end, I kept looking behind me, to assess the increasing level of peril, whilst at the same time, showing my strong and determined adversary all due respect. Thankfully, all ended well, and I was able to make my escape without a dunking.

30/08/21:  2/12, 1/08, 2/13, +1 small - the last day in Devon, and the mullet put on a bit of a firework show, in celebration. Three of these came from a spot where you just wouldn't want to get a hookup, and the other, the first of the day, put on a display of ill-tempered and not entirely futile resistance in open water - excellent, not least because the enjoyable session was followed by the best that The Colonel has to offer.

28/08/21:  1/09, 2/08 - the first day in Devon for some time, and two fish, each from entirely new locations. A pretty good start, with Phil catching as well, then the obligatory Ron's, elevated to gourmet status by the then-current reappearance of the Big Tasty on the menu.

16/08/21:  2/06 - another welcome addition, from a location that this year, seems to hold quite a few fish of this size, up to about 3lbs, although past years have yielded larger specimens, generally. Anyone complaining, though? (no, most definitely not)

10/08/21:  2/13, 1/01, plus two smaller ones. The first, another real scrapper, just as I was about to escape the flooding tide, a hookup situation too often repeated. The second, although quite modest, was an unexpected bonus, from a location that hasn't really produced many bites this year, probably due to the number of swimmers and paddle-boarders in close proximity... although on many occasions, I couldn't believe exactly how close...

04/08/21:  2/04, 2/03, 1/09 - three from a spot that hasn't fished at all well in recent years, so maybe a welcome indication of a return to form? - let's hope so. Pretty pleased with the session.

01/08/21:  2/15 - another one that thought it was going to 'do' me with a big wooden pontoon, so I was very pleased to prove it mistaken.

26/07/21:  2/14 - yeah... there I am, looking rightly pleased with myself, while the tide continues to creep in behind me, and the prospect of both waders becoming filled with water is quickly becoming nothing short of an inevitability...

15/07/21:  4/05 - a very long day, getting hotter by the minute, and enough for some serious over-baking to become evident later in the evening. No bites, and all hope had evaporated, then suddenly, out of the blue, things got a bit lively. This solid and very determined fish put up a pretty brutal fight, occasionally just holding, as if it was snagged, and was for the most part fairly difficult to turn. Once on the bank, it was still getting a bit naughty, so after a very quick photo, and given the heat of the afternoon, it was time to get it back in the water, and on its way.

11/07/21:  2/02 - from a venue where a fish on the float has been almost beyond impossible this season, unlike past sessions, so it was very much appreciated that it made an effort and put in a timely appearance.

02/07/21:  4/02, 2/00 - another couple, including a right 'chunky chicken'. Despite its stockiness, it had clearly been to the gym, and when I appealed to its better nature, waving the net, it just wasn't having any - superb. The second fish was a welcome bonus, and much easier on the nerves, thankfully.

30/06/21:  3/11, 2/05 - despite being pestered (and bitten repeatedly) by the overly-attentive Great Pale River Turkey, I managed to keep the feed going in, and eventually, the float just wasn't there any more. Fearing yet another bass (yes, some of that misery too, earlier), I was relieved when the familiar hammering started, but only briefly, soon to be replaced with the equally familiar anxiety. A particularly net-shy fish, which was frequently not so much 'hook and hold' as 'hook and pray'. Must have been a 'magic' hook, as it only fell out in the net. Buoyed by success, I stuck at it for a very long time, at a couple of other venues, plagued by some quite large bass. Eventually (there's that word again), there was something else on the end of the line, which was soon getting a bit stroppy, right under the pontoons, and it felt guuuuurrrdddd. Expecting to see stripes, and wasn't disappointed, another very lively contender. A good day.

28/06/21:  2/13 - this one made a very exciting change to the metric tonne of disgusting weed hauled in on every cast - a rare fish (for me) on the leger.

23/06/21:  2/14 - a hook-and-hold-hard that thankfully stayed on, despite some enormously unhelpful structures that contrived to get in the way, despite being totally static...

19/06/21:  1/13, 2/05 - a couple of fish which made for an unexpectedly enjoyable session in very familiar but recently-neglected surroundings.

13/06/21:  2/03, 1/12 - two modest fish that both went 'aerial' from the off, and gave it loads. The second one was particularly exciting, for a couple of reasons; in addition to the lively resistance, the bite came just after 'A-O', with the tide flooding in quickly, and the water level well over the 'get out of Dodge' marker. Once subdued, I let it swim back to (my) safety in the open landing net, so it was looking nice and fresh for its moment of fame. A surprisingly enjoyable session.

01/06/21:  2/14 - the fourth determined fish from this spot, for 2021, and three of them within a couple of ounces of each other. There must be an emerging statistical significance, here... (or not).

19/05/21:  2/05 - this one managed to get the line wrapped round itself fairly early in the fight, so it came to the bank in a mess of fins and wriggling. Inevitably, it sorted itself out before I could get the net anywhere near it (of course it would...), and immediately reverted to type - an absolute PSM (Pontoon Seeking Missile), albeit of modest proportions. Magic.

14/05/21:  2/15 - a similar scenario to the 3/00 caught previously, and another spectacular fight from a sleek fish with an oversized tail.

11/05/21:  2/04 - quite a lot of 'Uncle Ernie' going on down below, with the float making very small movements suggestive of extremely small fish, or maybe a very careful mullet. The confirmation was a healthy bend in the rod and an enjoyable scrappy fight in the margins. This one was carrying a parasite - an isopod on the anal fin, which was very carefully removed.

22/04/21:  3/00 - and now a strong thicklip, which turned up right on cue, when compared to the tide-time 'hotspots' for the day.

18/04/21:  2/13 thinlip - first mullet of the year, and very welcome; a long time since the last fish on 13/10/20. Memorable also because it's the first on the fly - many thanks to JamesE and MarkS for the heads-up regarding the thinlips' early-season weed pre-occupation, so a weed fly on the point did the job. After a lively fight, it was time to bring the hammer down... but with the 5wt fly rod, all I brought was the 'oingy-boingy'; I'm convinced that the fish only went in the landing net because it was starting to feel seasick. Satisfying to catch one using this method, after a number of very near misses last year.