“Mullet Bonanza”
By Terry Lacoss
“Terry, Courtney and I saw a huge school of tarpon rampaging mullet between Tiger Basin and the mouth of the St. Mary’s River,” Captain Bill Fassbender said. “Courtney and I were taking a leisure boat ride without a single fishing rod and reel in our boat! I have never seen so many tarpon and mullet in one small area of Cumberland Sound, it was simply amazing to watch!”
The current mullet migration is attracting a variety of saltwater game fish including tarpon, shark, redfish, jack crevalle and more. A five-foot alligator is also joining in on the mullet migration during low tide at the Fernandina Harbor Marina!
Local recreational fishermen will have little problem in capturing enough six to ten-inch mullet with their cast nets as area bays and rivers are simply teeming with massive surface feeding schools of mullet. Simply look for large areas of the surface where it appears to be raining hard and toss your monofilament cast net!
Such was the case when Captain Allen Mills was cast netting live mullet just west of the Fernandina Harbor Marina when a fifty-pound tarpon came clear of the water and crashed head first on a large school of mullet. A few days earlier, Captain Allen was charter fishing at the tip of the St. Mary’s south jetty rocks when a 100-pound plus tarpon came crashing into his charter fishing boat!
“We were tarpon fishing with live mullet when my client hooked a 130-pound tarpon,” Captain Allen said. “That big “Silver King” came leaping from the water and landed right in my charter fishing boat! For a few seconds it thrashed around violently in my boat before jumping back into the water un-harmed. I thought it had certainly busted up my leaning post and transom, but luckily nothing was damaged.”
A few days earlier Captain Terry D. Lacoss was tarpon fishing as well at the tip of the St. Mary’s south jetty rocks with live mullet as well.
“We had hooked one tarpon and caught a few sharks and redfish when I decided it was time to move,” Captain TD said. “I told my guests to reel up their live mullet when Ben Watkins hooked a fairly large fish. After a fifteen-minute fight I grabbed the tail of a 40-50-pound king mackerel and swung it into the boat. I handed the live mackerel to Ben for a quick photo before releasing his big catch. Unfortunately, Ben lost his grip on his kingfish which fell on his ankle causing emergency care.”
For the next two months of October and November a good run of mullet should produce excellent backwater and inlet fishing for redfish, flounder, sea trout and more. Typically, during late October and early November good numbers of tarpon will begin migrating south due to cooling water temperatures.
If you are targeting flounder, slot size redfish and sea trout, look for 4-8-inch finger mullet in the smaller tidal rivers. Barb the finger mullet from the bottom of the mouth and right through the top of the head with a ¼ ounce led head jig and fish slowly along the bottom. Inshore fishermen can also attach a small float above the led head barbed finger mullet while drifting the live mullet just off from the bottom.
If you are targeting larger game fish including tarpon, bull reds, gag grouper and cobia, the 8-12-inch mullet are holding along the beaches and inlet mouths of Amelia Island. Fish dead on the bottom with a 4-8 ounce-weight attached to main line with a “Sinker Slide”. A four foot-length of 80-pound fluorocarbon shock leader is then attached to a 50-pound barrel swivel to the main line. Finally, a 6/0 circle hook is attached to the tag end of the shock leader using a “Uni-Knot”. Once again barb the live mullet from the bottom of the head right through the top of the head and fish right on the bottom.
