# Choctaw Mullet



## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

My Last few times out have been for mullet. Got into this a couple of months ago and getting better on learning how to snatch before they bite. :tongue_smilie:

Still not seeing much activity at all by bream or bass anglers. Some boats are fishing the Choctawhatchee delta area. The reports I'm getting on reds is it's spotty but some are being caught With the river right close to flood stage at Ebro the high water should be down in the lower area in the next few days.

From a report yesterday the parking lot at Black Creek Lodge was full. The two most popular mullet holes in the lower river area were lined up with boats. A couple of friends fished from 11a to about 4p and got 20, and said the bite was slow during that time. 

On Monday I wanted something different and went down to Alaqua with the intent of fishing Piney Point in the bay for reds and specks. Got out there shortly after daylight only to discover I had left my spinning gear by the garage door. If I don't get my gear in the boat and ready the night before I seem to always forget somehting. Good thing I had my mullet gear, so headed to the local mullet hole. Fished for 3 hours with a few misses, no fish in the boat. The boat ahead of me started catching about 8a and he left at 10a. Me and another boat moved into the spot and started catching. I got 9 in about 30 or 40 minutes and quit. With these darn mullet you have to be in the spot they like at the time or you simply don't do all that well. 

Everyone is hoping the high water we have been having and cooler weather on the way things will pick up across the board for both fresh and salt water

Incidentally, last week my fishing partner caught a carp of at least 20 pound while mullet fishing. Carp normally don't eat regular bait, but this one had a 3/0 treble fully in his mouth. The treble tips had small bits of plastic. This is one time I wish I had had my camera.


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## OTTE*DA*WORM (Feb 12, 2011)

You can catch mullet with a fishing pole?


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## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

Yeah you can. You actually snatch them with treble hooks. You bait up a hole with dog food and some sort of feed and when you feel something nibble on your line, snatch, and wah la mullet.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Once you learn how it's done and start catching it can become adictive. It's a lot of fun,.


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## OTTE*DA*WORM (Feb 12, 2011)

I have never heard of anyone doing that. I always see them throwing nets, which I cant do. I need to learn more on this so I can try it out. What kind of 'feed' do you use, or bait, or what not?


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## Sea-r-cy (Oct 3, 2007)

I went a couple of weeks ago for the first time. Nothing like it, 4-5 boats bow to motor in a line staked out just off the bank.

I'm 60, and I was the "kid" of the group.  Slow and easy of fishing. Lots of fun. Sea-r-cy


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## beeritself (Nov 25, 2010)

I just can't imagine Having to clean all those fish. I've helped a guy haul his net in at Ft Pickens because it was too heavy for him. I don't know the guy, but he had over 100 mullet in one throw. It was crazy. He filled 2 large coolers and gave the rest away to anyone that wanted them. Now I love fishing and I love eating fish, but holy hell - cleaning that many fish at one time? No thanks.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

You are right about the cleaning part. I have a list of people I call and keep them supplied and they do the cleaning. Next project is to filet and cut in bits for cut bait ,salt them down, then freeze. Will use this for bay fishing and may work for catfish. I bet this would be good for gulf bottom bait as well. Do a google search on mullet fishing..there is a good bit about this and also on YouTube. Currently the limit is 50 per boat. 

I usually fry mullet but tried a broil receipe off the Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival website and they were delicious. Next is to get a smoker and do smoked mullet.


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## jakec (Oct 14, 2010)

smoked mullet is the best! canned is very good too it just doesnt look good.


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## Sailor50 (Nov 8, 2007)

I was down at the old Portland Ramp on Alaqua Bayou back in 2008 and these guys were snagging them. Seemed like the one guy was getting most of them so guess there is an art to it. Looked like fun.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

At the old Portland ramp it was common to see mullet snatchers there. Now that the ramp has been rebuilt and a dock installed I can't remember the last time I saw anyone fishing for mullet. I suppose they still do but haven't seen any in some time on my trips there. There is a hole down the creek a ways but you need a boat to get there.
Now that this has been mentioned I think I will just drive down there one day and give it a try and see what happens.


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## Donald811 (May 17, 2011)

J.B. are you scaling & gutting or filleting? I filled(sp) one the other day & it turned out good.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

looks like all them mullet will keep them flatheads fat


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

I wish them flatheads would eat more mullet and leave the bream alone. There isn't any bream left in the Choctaw from too long low water and too many flatheads. 


Donald...........I filet them all. For frying I remove the skin. For baking or broiling leave the skin on, but don't eat the skin


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

Back in the 70s when I was based in Okinawa, we used to make dough balls. It was a mix of canned jack mackerel and the local flour. Mix it so you could mold it on a dual hook rig, suspend it below a red/white plastic float and when they hit, the float disappeared. It wasn't a nibble and two fish at a time was common. Slices of bread tossed on the water were hammered, think of a pinfish feeding frenzy. Guess it was from the mullet getting fed all the time??


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## Sea-r-cy (Oct 3, 2007)

fishwalton said:


> I wish them flatheads would eat more mullet and leave the bream alone. There isn't any bream left in the Choctaw from too long low water and too many flatheads.


J. B., I can catch a basket full of live bream out of my lake, you can take them down to the river and restock. :whistling: Sea-r-cy


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Robert that's a good idea but we will have to leave them in the basket to keep the flatheads aware from them. Just put them in a honey hole and open the lid when it's time to catch a few.:thumbup:

Kanka, there are many baiting methods I have been reading about including homemade bait balls. One guy from Ebro that frequents the holes uses some kind of bait balls a little larger than a baseball and he pulls fish into his area big time. He's a fishing machine. I just bought some bulk ingredients from 
Sam's I'm going to experiment with making balls and use with regular dog food pellets.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

*Jack Mackerel*

Kanka,,,,,,I was in Winn Dixie today and just happened to spot "Jack Mackerel" when I walked by that section.Grabbed a can with the idea of making up a witches brew for dough balls to give a try next week. Noticed on the can it's from China. I don't knowingly eat anything canned or frozen from that part of the world, but maybe it won't make any difference to mullet. If they don't bite may it will kill them and we can just scoop them up with a dip net. :chinese:


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

Fishwalton, the funny part about making those doughballs, we HAD to use the local flour. If we used flour from the states, there were no bites. Don't know that that means, maybe there was preservatives in the flour??????
Maybe the jack mackerel has melamine in it and you can scoop em up faster........


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

Alot of times when Flatheads invade a river after a few years the blue gills will change their living habits, where as you probably use to could catch them any where in the river now they have learned to hide from the big predators. Just like on our river.

Try fishing the treetops and greenery's they will be smashed inside it. I had a local guy on Apalachicola river tell me this and it works fairly well.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Thanks Cathunter for the tip. If they don't bite in my traditional places will try the heavy cover with stouter line on light wire hooks in case of hangups.


I noticed at Sams they have several kinds of flour but didn't read the labels to see what all it contains. I sort of intended to use it as a paste to hold other stuff together.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

*Mullet catch today*

Went down to Alaqua well before daylight with friend. 4 rigs already in the parking lot so we figured they were after mullet. The hole is small so we went on to Black Creek and got to Nancy's hole at crack of day. 3 boats already there so we went on to the main river hole. 1 boat there. Another showed up about 10 or so. Everyone caught mullet. We got 38. 
It got hot so we broke out the umbrellas for a while and quit at 11:45 As did the others. On way in we cut across the bay to Nancy's Cut. One boat at mouth claimed a nice catch of keeper specks and a lot of shorts. This was the only boat we saw fishing for other than mullet.


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