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Ronan's report


Tuesday 21st October, 2008

I targeted mullet about 10 or 15 times over the summer with varying results.. Usually bad!. One thing that makes them very difficult is how their habits vary from day to day. Over 3 days fishing for them in Roundstone harbour, they appeared to have different feeding depths and habits each day. On the1st they were on the bottom with some cruising up to mid water. I hooked and lost one on a weighted nymph. 2nd day they were cruising in mid water with some coming to the top and feeding off the surface. I hooked one about 5 or 6lbs on a size 14, unweighted, white shrimp pattern about a foot down, I had no net and lost him at my hand after a good battle. There were about 10 in feeding that day and they all left the harbour after the fight. They're spooky fish which makes them that bit tougher! 3rd day there were some fish carcases on the sea bed. About 15-20 mullet came into the harbour at mid to low tide. They would feed voraciously on the carcass, about 6 at a time, for a few minutes and then leave and head off on a beat of about 100 feet in circumference before returning to the carcass. While on the beat they seemed keen to feed off the top. I saw one nose a fuschia flower so I covered him with a size 12 elk hair caddis which he ate. I had 2 more after this on the dry. 3lbs, 4lbs and about 5lbs.

It was some of the most enjoyable and challenging fishing I had since I got home last June. It's the only sight fishing I know of in Ireland. I know (and hope) someone will correct me here! I fished for them in 3 different locations over the summer. 2 were lagoons which filled at high tide. Shit loads of small mullet came into one of them. 1 to 2lb average. Nothing worked for these. Is it possible they were not feeding? I don't know.. they were certainly chasing each other around the pool and swirling around on the surface which seems to be the norm. I was sure they would take a dry after the success I had about 2ks away in the harbour only 2 or 3 days previous. Anyway, I could not crack them. I tried nymphs of various sizes and colours, dries and various lures. The other lagoon was about 1k from the harbour and also filled on mid to high tide. Mullet here ranged from 2 to 6lbs, mostly around 2-3. I had some inquiries here but before I could crack them I foul hooked a small one which spooked about 50 more and they have not returned to the lagoon since. That was last July. Is it possible they could recognise the danger and not return or is this a weird coincidence? I don't know. The day I landed 3 they did not seem spooky at all, most other days the fly landing beside them was enough to spook them, fly line and rod flash also spooked many fish.

I can sum up what I think I've learned..

  1. High sun and calm weather are very important to help you spot them, blind fishing seems to be a waste of time.
  2. when covering a fish the fly must be exactly on his path, all the action I had (hooked 6, missed 4) occurred when the cast was spot on accurate.
  3. Fish in harbours seem to be more opportunist and therefore easier to catch than those in completely wild areas.
  4. there is no 4
  5. mullet often nose the fly so wait for it to disappear before striking. When they're hooked inside the mouth they wont get off, lip hooked they probably will.
  6. Larger fish seem easier to catch that small ones.
  7. when you think you've cracked it you haven't!!

Everything I've learned is based on 3 locations in and around Roundstone in Co. Galway. I feel that every location where mullet can be found their diet can vary. I wanted to try the islands outside Roundstone Bay but wind was always a problem. The harbour, by the way was on my doorstep! Unfortunately I had to leave the house since! There's one thing I did not mention, many people told me to get mullet feeding on bread and then target them with a bread fly, I wanted to catch them on a representation of whatever they were actually feeding on. I don't think I achieved this yet as I've never been sure what they were feeding on(except when I could see them eating the fish carcass) and I think the fish I caught were opportunist feeders, Rare among mullet in my limited experience.

Ronan.. (stuntman ci)


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