# The mullet have returned - Choctawhatchee River



## FishWalton

I believe it's safe to say mullet have finally returned to the east end delta / estuary system of the Choctawhatchee Bay. This morning on the way home from Smokehouse Lake (4 short bass and motor broke down) I stopped at Black Creek Lodge to check the action. One boat had just loaded up and was pulling off...and told me they got'em. I knew these guys so followed them to their nearby camp. They had two large ice chest slam full of some of the biggest mullet I have seen snatched in a couple of years. Even though I knew them when asked what hole they fish one responded, "over yonder". We had a laugh. Knowing these guys they may have a private spot baited and ain't talking. Understandable!

At the landing another boat pulled in and said they had a box full. Didn't ask to see these. 

That's good enough for me to load up well before daylight tomorrow and head "over yonder" to see if I can find a few. 

Had a good report yesterday as well....one had 10 and one had 32.


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## hsiF deR

I have seen more mullet this year than ever. 

I was down at Hogtown a couple weeks ago and it looked like an East Coast mullet run. They were thick.


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## Bodupp

Go get 'em, JB. Make hay while the sun shines! :thumbsup:


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## FishWalton

hsiF deR said:


> I have seen more mullet this year than ever.
> 
> I was down at Hogtown a couple weeks ago and it looked like an East Coast mullet run. They were thick.


For whatever the reason they just started showing up east of 331 in the last few weeks and folks have been catching. I had heard they were in HogTown a while back.


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## FishWalton

They went somewhere else this morning!!!!! 4 mullet for 5 1/2 hours of fishing and my partner caught all of them. We got to the hole at the crack of day only to find someone already on 'the spot'. This guy claimed to have caught 86 right there on Monday. He quit about 8:00 and went to another hole. Stayed there about an hour and left. Found him at another hole about noon with 4 other boats. One of these 5 boats said he had 18. We knew him and he's a top notch mullet snatcher.

At our hole we had 4 boats for the morning. The catch when we left about noon....1 boat had 10, we had 4, two boats had zero. Mullet were jumping a little all around the hole so they were there. We just could not connect.


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## billyb

Some of the people over there must not know the limit is 50 per person or 100 per boat with 2 or more people. If the FWC checked them they would pay a hefty fine.


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## FishWalton

billyb said:


> Some of the people over there must not know the limit is 50 per person or 100 per boat with 2 or more people. If the FWC checked them they would pay a hefty fine.


There were 2 people in the boat. Yesterday the guy was by himself.


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## FishWalton

With my friend Geezer from Crestview we managed to put 16 in the cooler this morning, but it was slow fishing. Took us about 5 hours. Other boats; one got 3 and then moved to another location. Another boat got about 10 by the time we left and another boat that arrived shortly before we left got 3. I could see fish now and then on the side-scan and they were not thick in the hole. A lot of bait in the river but no top water activity from feeding fish. Went by another hole that had five boats. I think it was a slow morning for all but fish were being caught.

This is interesting..... An 'ol timer from Destin arrived about 45 minutes before we left. He wanted 4 mullet for he and his wife's supper. His hook rig was a #2 gold treble hook on bottom and a single #6 gold hook on the top tiped with a plastic bait. He caught 3 on that little single bream hook and I suspect he got the 4 plus more. When he caught one he played it a long time so as not to straighten the hook.


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## Geezer

After my wife helped me clean them, she fired up the smoker & prepared a feast fit for a king. Mighty good.


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## billyb

2 seasoned mullet fishermen. I want to know who caught the most fish.


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## Geezer

billyb said:


> 2 seasoned mullet fishermen. I want to know who caught the most fish.


I think he did. He is the Master. For a while there I was just scaling them for someone else to catch.


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## billyb

I am glad ya'll have become friends. Just remember not to outfish him or he won't ask you to go anymore. That is what happened to me and my once was fishing buddy. If I started catching fish and he wasn't he would move the boat so he would be in my spot. Usually I continued catching anyway.


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## FishWalton

*Another day, another change*



billyb said:


> 2 seasoned mullet fishermen. I want to know who caught the most fish.


I think it was pretty much even. Today was another story with another buddy. Not a single bite or scale for 3 hours of fishing at Alaqua Creek We were headed for the river but diverted to Alaqua which turned out not to be a good idea. Talked to a local who said it has been poor at this spot for a while so it's back to the river.


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## FishWalton

*The bite was on*

They bit from the time we got to the mullet hole until we quit. Buddy and I put 50 in the box this morning..... all black mullet. New regulations on limits started 9/1, so it's 50 per boat for the next few months during the spawn. 

As usual with mullet fishing we hooked and lost dozens with the good bite. 

The Choctawhatchee River is currently alive with large bait balls. A local we spoke with this morning got 6 keeper bass and 5 keeper reds on Tuesday,but obviously didn't keep them all. He said there were huge bait balls in the main river as well as the tributaries with porpoise after them a half mile up river from the bay. He saw a 6 to 7 ft bull shark up the same area. He was back after reds and bass this morning. 

We were not looking for bait this morning bait but out from the mullet hole that was a huge area of bait and the lady fish were in a feeding frenzy. We stopped fishing mullet long enough to have a little fun with the poor man's tarpon. 

The Labor Day weekenders should have good fishing.


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## billyb

After reading this I have decided to try for some mullet in Milton on Saturday. High tide is early morning so it should be as good as it can be. I was going to buy my AL license and go to Frank Jackson, but that can wait until next weekend.


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## FishWalton

billyb said:


> After reading this I have decided to try for some mullet in Milton on Saturday. High tide is early morning so it should be as good as it can be. I was going to buy my AL license and go to Frank Jackson, but that can wait until next weekend.


If enough folks work the traditional holes and keep them baited things should start picking up soon.


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## Geezer

fishwalton said:


> If enough folks work the traditional holes and keep them baited things should start picking up soon.


Congrats on the big catch. I believe that, if enough people started baiting the mullet hole in Milton, they would return there as well.


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## Buckchaser

Geezer said:


> Congrats on the big catch. I believe that, if enough people started baiting the mullet hole in Milton, they would return there as well.


I've been wondering why I havnt seen many people there this year. It's usually loaded with boats on the weekends


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## billyb

I didn't get to go fishing today. My Mom called last night about 8 and said my Dad was having chest pains. We rushed him to Sacred Heart. He didn't want to go to Crestview. Stayed in the ER until about 9 this morning when they finally moved him to a room. I left at 11 and they were still running test. Just got up from a knap and will go back to the hospital soon.


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## Geezer

billyb said:


> I didn't get to go fishing today. My Mom called last night about 8 and said my Dad was having chest pains. We rushed him to Sacred Heart. He didn't want to go to Crestview. Stayed in the ER until about 9 this morning when they finally moved him to a room. I left at 11 and they were still running test. Just got up from a knap and will go back to the hospital soon.


Sorry to hear that. Hope he's OK. I don't blame him for not wanting to go to the Crestview Hospital.


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## FishWalton

*Slim pickn's today*

Where we got a limit last Saturday the catch was only 12 today. We had the spot to ourselves except for short visits by 2 boats. Action not fast enough for one boat of mullet pro's that we knew. Other boat were beginners using floating bait. They left after 30 minutes. Water condition was excellent, but we did not see the top water and bait action like last Saturday. 
With the holiday the parking lot was jammed full of rigs when we go back about 11:30 but the traffic was only modest in the area we were fishing. Not bad at all. We launched at 0530 and there were only 3 or 4 at the time.


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## FishWalton

billyb said:


> I didn't get to go fishing today. My Mom called last night about 8 and said my Dad was having chest pains. We rushed him to Sacred Heart. He didn't want to go to Crestview. Stayed in the ER until about 9 this morning when they finally moved him to a room. I left at 11 and they were still running test. Just got up from a knap and will go back to the hospital soon.


Sure hope your Dad is improving and will be out and about soon.


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## billyb

After spending the weekend at the hospital I decided to try for some mullet this morning. Caught 9. Fished from 6 to 12. 2 other boats and they did about the same.

Dad is home and feeling better. The doctor really don't know what caused his chest pains because all of the test were OK. I called him today to ask if he wanted any fish and he said yes. I heard the doctor tell him to stick to a cardiac diet and to quit chewing tobacco. He had a chew in the car on the way home yesterday and now he is eating fried fish. He says it hasn't killed him in 86 years so why quit now.

Sacred Heart was locked down Friday night when we got there. A stabbing and they were afraid the gang would show up to finish the job. Police everywhere. They finally let us in after about 2 hours. Afterwards the people who had not been seen got irate. Several went to the desk and caused a scene and security had to come remove them. I just sat there and watched. Those low information voters is what Rush calls them. They may have been sick, but when they didn't get their way they had plenty of energy.


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## FishWalton

*Outfished 3 to 1 by Geezer*

Geezer and I launched at Black Creek Lodge about 0520, but departure was delayed due to a dead starter battery I had forgot to service. Hooking up the trolling motor battery we finally headed to a mullet hole. 

The starting bite was good right off but it didn't last long. My first catch was about a 5 inch crab that got mad when I tried to unhook it and latched onto a finger on one hand and the palm of the other hand. OUCH! Geezer came to the rescue but the first aide kit was needed as well.

The bite was really slow for me but better for Geezer. He had the hole and the knack today. I think I caught 3 of 4 out of the 15 we brought home. We had the place all to ourselves. There was no one at another hole but 5 or 6 boats were at the most popular hole. This spot gets a lot of pressure because it's close to the boat landing plus it's a good mullet hole. 

On the way home we stopped at Copeland's Gun Shop on 331 just south of hwy 20 to get some hooks and stuff and learned the weekend was really busy. Danny reported the lower river bream are hot right now and channel cat are hitting crickets like crazy. When channels are hitting crickets it's time to get on the river with the Bream Buster. I hope they will still be biting on Friday. 


For the bass guys we picked up a tip that the Zoom "banana seed" trick worm is hot with the local area bass tournament folks.


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## billyb

Sounds like Geezer should continue to go with you and forget Milton. I would go over there some if it wasn't so far to drive.


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## billyb

I will try anything once so I looked for that Zoom worm online. No banana seed color, but did find a bruised banana. It is a light yellow with black swirls. I have had good luck on the river using bright colors other than the traditional ones everyone else uses.


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## FishWalton

billyb said:


> I will try anything once so I looked for that Zoom worm online. No banana seed color, but did find a bruised banana. It is a light yellow with black swirls. I have had good luck on the river using bright colors other than the traditional ones everyone else uses.


I saw the pack on the Zoom display. It's yellow with specks. 

See http://zoombait.com/banana-seed-181/


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## Geezer

After my wife got through with them, this is what some of those mullet looked like.


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## FishWalton

Yesterday morning I went to smoke some mullet and the smoker grates I had left on the picnic table the night before were gone.....so no smoking. Here I was with about 25 mullet filets to smoke and no way to do it so ended up giving them to friends. In the process one of the friends gave me a brand new smoker that had been in storage for years. I cleaned it up and it's like new....it has never been used. So now back to the bay next week for some more mullet, I hope.


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## jcoss15

fishwalton said:


> Geezer and I launched at Black Creek Lodge about 0520, but departure was delayed due to a dead starter battery I had forgot to service. Hooking up the trolling motor battery we finally headed to a mullet hole.
> 
> The starting bite was good right off but it didn't last long. My first catch was about a 5 inch crab that got mad when I tried to unhook it and latched onto a finger on one hand and the palm of the other hand. OUCH! Geezer came to the rescue but the first aide kit was needed as well.
> 
> The bite was really slow for me but better for Geezer. He had the hole and the knack today. I think I caught 3 of 4 out of the 15 we brought home. We had the place all to ourselves. There was no one at another hole but 5 or 6 boats were at the most popular hole. This spot gets a lot of pressure because it's close to the boat landing plus it's a good mullet hole.
> 
> On the way home we stopped at Copeland's Gun Shop on 331 just south of hwy 20 to get some hooks and stuff and learned the weekend was really busy. Danny reported the lower river bream are hot right now and channel cat are hitting crickets like crazy. When channels are hitting crickets it's time to get on the river with the Bream Buster. I hope they will still be biting on Friday.
> 
> 
> For the bass guys we picked up a tip that the Zoom "banana seed" trick worm is hot with the local area bass tournament folks.


Is banana seed the yellow ones?


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## Geezer

jcoss15 said:


> Is banana seed the yellow ones?


Yellow with specks


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## billyb

I placed an order for a bag of Banna Seed and Sherbert yesterday. Thanks for the tip. I am getting all kinds of info about what to use for bass on the river. Was told frogs work so I ordered some of them too. Now if I can get someone to tell me which spinnerbait color is best and what weight is best, 1/4 or 1/2? One reel rigged with a frog, one with a worm, one with a crank and one with a spinnerbait. If I can't catch fish with those selections I might as well go home.


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## FishWalton

Yesterday a couple of friends went to the same mullet hole Geezer and I fished a few days ago and had a catch of 15....they got 1 for 4 hours of fishing. You can never tell what the day will bring at a mullet hole. I believe they said another boat there got 2. A week before we got 50. 

Big weather coming in so the river will probably be messed up for a while.


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## FishWalton

Yesterday, Saturday, a buddy and I were at the famous Nancy's Cut mullet hole on Mitchell River before you could see good. One boat already there.. We pulled into what we thought would be the hot spot. Turned out that first boat was someone we knew and we debated pulling on up beside him but stayed put where we were. Bad decision!
Eventually there were 5 boats. That first boat had 46 by the time we decided to pull out.No doubt he got his 50 limit and the other boats were doing well.
. 
We pulled out about 9:30 and headed across the bay to the holes on the lower Choctaw. The bay was live with bait and birds working the pods, but we did not have speck/red tackle. Fished the hole at South Mouth (first time for me) for a little while but the tide was running strong and we got no bites.

Mullet fishing will drive you crazy sometimes, but before we began screaming yesterday we just decided to up anchor and go for a boat ride. Tomorrow is another day....just maybe it will be better! 

We got 7 at Nancy's....me 1, buddy 6. They will be on the smoker this afternoon.


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## FishWalton

*A better day*

Once again Freddy and I launched before daylight at Black Creek Lodge hoping to get a good slot at Nancy's Cut Mullet Hole on Mitchell River. Based on what we saw Saturday we had decided the so called best spot had shifted and we were headed for the X marks the spot. Low and behold a boat was already in place....a guy we knew. Before the morning was over there were 10 boats at any given time although 12 or 13 actually fished at one time or another.
Top boat got 40. Guess who! We got 18 + 1 freebie. Everyone caught fish but a few moved out that were not doing very well and other boats arrived to fill their open slots.

In the slideshow the guy with the mullet jumping lost that rod and reel overboard to a big mullet and my partner just happen to have a redfish line out with an LY. As the mullet pulled the pole upstream it became entangled and Freddy was able to retrieve our neighbors gear. He was a happy camper as this was his favorite rig. You will see the photo.

For a reward Freddy got to keep the mullet that was on the line :thumbup: 

The photos with the big mushrooms in the tree were actually taken a few days ago at Lassister Lake off the Choctawhatchee. Question....does anyone have any information on that growth they would like to share. 

Slideshow. http://s1207.photobucket.com/user/fishwalton/slideshow/Nancys%20Cut%20Mullet%20Hole


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## Geezer

Congrats on the catch & good photos.


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## FishWalton

Got an early start this morning and was at the mullet hole about 5:45. Had to wait a little while to see. First boat at the spot but soon had a boat on each side of me. I had to leave at 9:30 for appointment. Pin fish and LY's were a pain in my spot. Other boats were landing a mullet now and then. Ended up with 5 boats when I left. Two had about 10 to 15 each. I ended up with 7. Will compete with the Saturday crowd and give it a longer shot tomorrow.


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## FishWalton

Geeezzzz.....what a morning. Up at 0330 and headed to the river at 4:45. Hung two mullet before daylight but lost them....all within 3 or 4 minutes of anchoring. Caught me off guard. Finally got a light going so I could see what was going on. A boat already there and catching. Another boat arrived about 15 minutes after I did and pulled up behind my boat. We both quit at 10:30....he had 46 and I had 15. Other boats got ready to pull into our spots. He had the hot spot about 15 feet from where I was fishing. 11 boats eventually in the lineup and all were catching now and then. Bite practically stopped about 0930. 

There was a lot of boat traffic on Mitchell River. Bass tournament in progress out of Black Creek Lodge plus the red/speck/bream/bass weekend crowd. One gave me a 20 inch red when we docked at the landing. Guy said he caught 4 others under slot. 

34 rigs in the parking lot when I came in about 1100.

Nap time now then I'll clean fish for neighbors family fish fry.


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## FishWalton

On Tuesday got up at 4am and started watching the weather on radar. Finally pulled out at 8:00 with my regular fishing buddy and headed to the river. Down 331 we came to a traffic jam about 2 miles north of Rock Hill due to one lane traffic. Got the bright idea of cutting cross country on dirt road over to hwy 81 to Red Bay and then going on down to Black Creek . The brain (or memory) wasn't working very well as forgot this road was closed due to high water. Got to the creek, could not turn around, so started backing up to a spot about 200 yards up the road. Got too far to one side and dropped the left frot wheel into a washout. Called a wrecker. We finally got to Black Creek about 10:30. 

The creek was high but we were ready to fish. Got to the mullet hole and one boat there from Bonifay since 6 o'clock. He had 3, but left not long after we got there. A while later another boat arrived and we knew the guy. We ended up with 6 and the new arrival had 3 when we left about 2:30 pm. This guy is one of the best mullet snatchers I have ever seen but don' know what he did after we left. He said he has loaded up on days when the river was much higher than it was Tuesday. You never know. 

As a side note our Fishing Club had a fish fry at Morrison Springs yesterday. The Springs was way up and heavily stained but not muddy. Several boats launched to fish the high back water. Some folks love high back water fishing and they will be out there doing just that until the river drops back down in a few days.


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## billyb

Probably won't be good fishing this weekend. Yellow at Milligan went from 6" to 7.5' in 1 day. now at about 6.5'. Shoal in Crestview went from 3' to about 8.5' now. I fish below where they run together so I am sure there is too much water unless you go to Milton at the mouth. I wonder if BW Bay is muddy? Might try for redfish.


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## FishWalton

Not bad this morning. Black Creek and Mitchell River are a little high but the color is good. Not muddy.....but I don't know about the main Choctawhatchee River. 

Only 3 boats this morning at the mullet hole. It was a good morning catching. 27 for us, a box full of close to 50 for boat next to us and the third boat also did very well. The guy next us got 42 yesterday and reported he was doing very good on bream and shellcrackers just before the big rain. Day before the rain he got 28 keeper bream/shellcrackers on Black Creek upstream from the 3280 bridge.

Wind was high today with solid overcast. Long sleeves and long pants felt good. No rain.

Will take a rest for the old body to recoup a little then clean fish and stoke the smoker later this afternoon.


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## billyb

Since both Yellow and Shoal are still at about 6.5' I have told my wife I would go shopping with her tomorrow in Pensacola. My daughter is getting married in November and I need to get measured for a suit and my wife needs a dress. Doesn't it sound like fun?


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## billyb

Fishwalton I am giving up on mullet in Milton. If you ever go alone and would like a companion for a day I would like to go. Maybe if I could go with you once in a while it would calm my craving to snatch a few.


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## FishWalton

billyb said:


> Fishwalton I am giving up on mullet in Milton. If you ever go alone and would like a companion for a day I would like to go. Maybe if I could go with you once in a while it would calm my craving to snatch a few.


I'm booked solid this week but the following week I'm open every day except Tuesday the 13th. Pick a day and come on over. Would love to show you around the Choctaw river delta and snatch a few mullet. 
Over past few trips we have been able to avoid being skunked although one day only 6 went in the box....me 1 and my buddy 5. It's up and down as always. Will see how it goes tomorrow.


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## FishWalton

The bite is still good although the river is up about 18 inches since last Friday. The water color is changing to chocolate and foam was floating down Mitchell River into Nancy's Cut. Foam means a rising river. 

Five boats this morning and 3 were doing very well. Two of the boats didn't show up until after 9:00. We knew two guys in one boat. They fished about 45 minutes and pulled out and went to another hole. One of the boats that was doing very good quit and a boat pulled into the vacant good spot and a few minutes late the boat that had left came back......He just missed getting a better spot.

We put 32 in the box and headed to the landing. 4 to 5 hours is enough for both of us whether we are catching or not.

If you may be wondering about me fishing almost every day I'm involved with an Outdoor Expo at Live Oak Landing on Black Creek this coming Saturday and I have to go down there every day and chum the area where kids will be fishing. I figure may as well do a little fishing since I have to be there anyway.


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## FishWalton

*Another one of those days!*

The bite was way off this morning compared to yesterday. Five boats at the mullet hole but only 2 were doing well. They boxed probably 20 to 25 + each. Geezer and I were able to manage only 8. Fish were not jumping like yesterday. I could see them on the side-scan but not all that many. We just had a heck of a time getting a bite while 20 ft away it was pretty good.


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## FishWalton

*Change in plans*

Schedule changes allowed me and my fishing buddy to go back to a mullet hole this morning where Geezer and I got only 8 yesterday. Fished the same area for 2 1/2 hours without a bite. We should have known better than stay so long without a bite. 

Two other boats got only a couple each, So we decided to pull out and go to another hole on the big river. One of the boats asked to follow us over there. Fished the new hole for about 2 1/2 hours and ended up with 16, Several were roe mullet. 

A few photos from of trip. Good shot of a **** (there are several in the area) also shows how too many anglers treat the environment. Along the bank for a hundred feet it's an absolute mess. The only thing that cleans it up is a high flood.


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## FishWalton

Was rushed for time on Friday and had to quit at 0915, but we got 6. Buddy and a couple of his friends fished the same exact spot on Saturday for only 2 hours and got 30. The bite started about 9 to 9:30. There seems to be plenty of mullet in the river holes and the big roe fish are showing up in caches. However, the majority are smaller silver mullet.


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## FishWalton

I think maybe the best way to describe mullet fishing this week at the Choctawhatchee holes is to say "swarms" of boats are showing up. This morning there were 16 boats scattered over 3 traditional locations. The Black Creek Lodge parking lot had 28 rigs there about 11:00 am. Today was third trip this week for me. I quit at 10:30 with 13. River was perfect for bobber fishing.....slick as glass until about 9:30. A good number of boats fishing reds and specks at the crack of day. One boat reported schools of bull reds east of the 331 bridge but he could not get a bite. Guy said they were real spooky. At least one 50 limit of mullet was taken. Stopped at Copeland's Guns and Tackle and they reported mullet fishing interest has been very high for days. Also, they sold out of crappie minnows on Wednesday....supply truck comes every Friday.


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## Geezer

It sounds like, over there, Friday is a day to avoid for us retired folks.


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## FishWalton

Geezer said:


> It sounds like, over there, Friday is a day to avoid for us retired folks.


 . 

The last two or three Friday's have seen a lot of boats on the water. Last week was a holiday weekend. This week there is some sort of break or holiday up in Alabama. Should comeback to normal soon. I'm thinking the good weather and good bite has folks wanting to get out and about with a pole in hand.


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## FishWalton

*26 mullet today*

Temp and wind rather sporty this morning. Buddy and I hit all three Choctawhatchee River mullet holes this morning and picked up a few at each. Ended up with 26. Not a roe mullet in the bunch. Weather kept the crowd to a minimum....8 or 9 boats total at the three holes.

Will let the mullet rest for the week as I head over to Lake Talquin for some crappie fishing.


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## FishWalton

*They are still here!*

Finally got back on the Choctaw and back to mullet fishing this morning. Met up with a friend from FWB at Black Creek Lodge about 6am and it looked like the 4th of July in the parking lot. The lot was already half filled with maybe 15 rigs and 4 or 5 were lined up to launch. Extreme high tide into the lot was pushing the larger boats to a corner that is best for big boats in this water condition. With a smaller boat we were able to by-pass some of the crowd and off we went.

Got to our spot and only boat there. The river was slick as glass and stayed that way until about 9:30. This was first mullet snatching trip for my friend who is a life long hunter and fisherman. He runs a charter boat service out of the FWB/Destin area.

With a little instruction he caught on real fast and boated the first mullet of the day. With the extreme high tide the water was deeper than usual so we could not use the 14 ft poles so reverted to crappie rods and reels. A second boat finally showed up but didn't stay long, then another about an hour before we quit at 10:30. 

Ended up with 16 silver and 1 black mullet. For some reason the big black roe mullet are very scarce this season. Maybe they left early and the red tide got them down near Destin and in the gulf. 

Visited all 3 holes and there were probably 15 to 18 boats working the spots during the morning. Nancy's Cut is the most popular and had about a dozen boats this morning. The report we got though was it was very slow at this spot.

We saw a number of boats fishing specks/reds but didn't notice any action. However, reports over the past couple of weeks is of large number of short specks but very few keepers. Red fish have been so-so for keepers


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## FishWalton

*Saturday morning*

Bass Tournament this morning at Black Creek Lodge but not all that many mullet and other fishermen for a Saturday. Went early, got to the hole at daylight and quit at 10:00. The bite was up and down and we left them biting on an upswing . Had to get my partner back to DeFuniak by 11:00 Auburn kickoff. We made it with 10 minutes to spare. 21 silver and 1 whopper black roe mullet. The smoker will be fired up this afternoon.


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## FishWalton

*Another good day*

After all the rain for the past two days we felt no need for a daybreak arrival this morning at the mullet hole so we didn't leave town until after sunrise. Went directly to the nearest mullet hole and found one boat already set up and catching. Single guy from Elba, Al....and he kept on catching while we could not a buy a bite.

After an hour and half watching him boat one after the other we decided to try another place. This was a good decision. We ended up with 25 but not a black roe mullet in the bunch. 
The weather apparently spooked a lot of fishermen. There were only 2 rigs in the parking lot at Black Creek Lodge this morning.


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## FishWalton

*It was bound to happen - SKUNKED*

This morning......skunked. Out of Black Creek Lodge - - Fished hole #1 One boat there when I got there. They had 4 and proceeded to box about 20 by the time I decided to seek greener pastures. I did not catch a fish. Same boat got 19 yesterday afternoon and 50 on Tuesday afternoon. Fished hole #2 Two other boats arrived after I did. We were doing nothing but visiting and swapping fish stories. Noticed a boat come up river from hole #3. About 30-35 minutes later he went back to hole #3. Told my neighbor I bet he took a load to the hill and came back for more. After a good hour and half and one mullet lost I upped anchor and moved to hole #3. I anchored just below the boat we had seen earlier. Watched one guy box 9 in about 35-40 minutes. His partner got 1. I think my assumption may have been correct on taking a full box to the hill. 

So after fishing 3 holes and not a fish I headed to the landing. Stopped by hole #2 to check with the guys I had left. One boat had moved into my old slot and caught 8 or 9 while I was gone. I guess my bait worked after I left! How many times have we all had that happened?

That's mullet fishing.............!!!!!


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## k-p

Thanks JB for the report! Do you think these record temps have anything to do with it? Rain perhaps? Over by Tally it was record highs and 89 while I was out hunting yesterday. Also never seen a creek that was basically dry in the swamp I hunt in. That was a first. Then I noticed coming back the Chipola and Choctaw were very high. Unbelievable how much change in just a few miles.


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## FishWalton

k-p said:


> Thanks JB for the report! Do you think these record temps have anything to do with it? Rain perhaps? Over by Tally it was record highs and 89 while I was out hunting yesterday. Also never seen a creek that was basically dry in the swamp I hunt in. That was a first. Then I noticed coming back the Chipola and Choctaw were very high. Unbelievable how much change in just a few miles.


I think everyone may have their own theory as to how the environment seems to be affecting hunting and fishing conditions. I was hoping for a dry river swamp next week when hunting season opens but looks like squirrel hunting may be from a boat. 
I do think the warm water is negatively impacting crappie fishing in both lakes and the river. Just my opinion. 
Plenty of mullet are still being caught in the Choctawhatchee delta area, but today just wasn't my day. Will see in a couple more days when the flood reaches the bay area. I think that will slow down specks and reds which has been pretty fair although most are below the slot. 
Today I saw some huge individual images pass by on the side-scan set at 25 ft but no way to tell what they were. There was no top water activity like just a few days ago.'
In a couple of weeks a FWC Biologist will address out local fishing club. I bet he will get a lot of questions on everything from water conditions and flatheads and sturgeon to bull reds. 
Water temp today was 72 but may go a little higher over the next few days.


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## FishWalton

*Somewhat redeemed myself!*

This afternoon fire trucks blocked Black Creek Lodge Road so we got permission to launch at a nearby private ramp. My regular fishing buddy and I worked on mullet for only 2 hours and put 13 in the box. After day before yesterday being skunked I feel a little better although I know there will be more 'skunk' days.

We got to hole #1 about 2:30pm and 4 boats were lined up.....so we crossed the bay and stopped at hole #2. No one there. Put out the anchor poles and tied up. I told Freddy exactly where to fish....the exact spot where a guy hit them day before yesterday after I had left the spot. Sure enough he started off getting a few scales and soon the first fish went into the ice box. 

I fished a few feet away and was getting no bites, so moved over to the same spot with the activity. It was nice to snatch now and then and get a few scales that told me they are there, then starting to put a few in the box. 

It has been a very long time since I fished a late afternoon until almost dark. What beauty Mother Nature has in her wonderful sunsets. The weather was perfect with only a light wind. The bay was calm for small boat traffic. It was good to be out there. We got home in time for the 6pm news.

Incidentally, several boats started arriving in the late afternoon fishing for reds and specks. The nice weather and a Friday afternoon had them on the move.


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## k-p

Glad you had such a great afternoon out on the water. If things get dry there you're more than welcome to come to the house anytime. The big black roe mullet are starting to run. Had a school of about 100 come by today but I was busy with other things. Did get 4 out of 12 silvers yesterday that were big blacks with roe in them.


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## FishWalton

*Wednesday Nov 11th....update*

After being down with the creeping crude a few days it was good to be back on the river this morning with Geezer from Crestview. The Choctaw is still flooded big time and will continue at this stage for another week or more.... but we wanted to see if a mullet could be caught in such high water.

We launched at Black Creek lodge and arrived at hole #2 about 7:15. On the way we passed hole #1 with three boats and nothing was going on. All morning long we were the only boat at our spot except for a short visit by another boat....and #3 spot didn't have a boat at all. 

It was not until 8:55 that Geezer boated the first fish after several snatches getting scales only. I just watched his effort. What little bite there was didn't start until about 8:30 or so. He managed to boat 6 and I got 1.....that was it except for a 20 to 25 pound carp that I hung and played for a good while. It actually bit the bait as the hook was in it's mouth.Finally it played out and I brought it to the boat to hopefully hoist for picture taking, but a treble hook got hung on a bait bag line hanging over the side of e boat and the leader snapped. Geezer did get a couple of phone pictures that I'll post later. 

There were a few boats out for specks and reds but no one was doing anything but riding around and enjoying the beautiful day.


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## Geezer

That sure was a big carp, with a good long fight for you to get him alongside the boat. It was like being in a scene from Moby Dick, without having to pay for the price of a ticket.


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## FishWalton

Geezer said:


> That sure was a big carp, with a good long fight for you to get him alongside the boat. It was like being in a scene from Moby Dick, without having to pay for the price of a ticket.


o

Thanks for the photos. Wish we could have landed him for better photos. Only reference for a perspective of it's size is the leader was about 2 ft long or better


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## FishWalton

After nearly two hour this morning was about ready to quit and head to the house, then scales showed up on the treble hooks. A few minutes later a mullet was in the box. Had to leave early but for about 2 1/2 hours the bite was on although slow. Managed to put 17 silver mullet in the cooler. I still wonder where the black's are hanging out.


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## FishWalton

Sort of a repeat of mullet trip yesterday. Today a buddy and I fished from about 11:30 to 3:00pm and put 21 in the box. Still no black mullet to be found. 
I'm sort of marking time just fishing mullet until the river get's back down to a decent level. Sure hankering to fish for river crappie. Lake fishing is about all there is to do for the time being.


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## FishWalton

Once again a decent few hours this afternoon. When I got to the hole there was only one boat.They were snatch'n and catch'n as I anchored my boat. They continued with a steady pace and I fiddled while Rome burned.....for an hour, no bites. Then I moved to the upstream side of the other boat and stared to get a bite now and then. They counted their catch and had 45....stayed until they got 50 then left to fish for specks. I stayed put and casts to their spot. Managed to put 12 in the box in about 1 1/2 hrs. Finally, some black mullet were in the catch for both myself and the other guys. Fished from about 1:30 to 4:30 total. I'm about burned out on mullet and ready for the cold snap coming in. Hope it turns the crappie on. Will find out at Pate Pond next week. 

Water temp today was 64, but it will be going down by Monday.


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## FishWalton

Yesterday...Monday... such a nice day so after it warmed up a bit I hooked up the boat and headed to Alaqua Creek Met up with a mullet fisherman I know as he was coming in. He had 15 to 20. This was about 11:30. Down to the hole where one other boat was fishing. This time I anchored upstream from the best spot. This boat quit about 2pm and had close to a limit. I quit at 3pm with 15 in the box.
Finally, I'm headed to a crappie pond tomorrow. I need a serious change.


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## FishWalton

Haven't been mullet snatching in a few days due to the call of crappie, but this afternoon with nothing to do I decided to go see if any mullet were still around. An amazing afternoon indeed!!
. Another boat with man and wife team I know arrived about 10 minutes after I got to the hole. Only 2 boats there all afternoon. We fished from 2:00 to 4:30 pm. They boxed 44 and I got 39 my myself.
Haven't had a bite like that in a couple of years.


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## Geezer

Today my friend, Fishwalton, introduced my wife & I to one of his favorite mullet snatching holes. In about 3 hours we put 45 in the ice chest. That is the best mullet fishing we have done, since the good old days of the "Stinky Hole" in Milton.


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## FishWalton

Choctawhatchee mullet are still hanging in there and biting. Before we settled down at the mullet hole today we fished specks and reds out in the bay for about an hour. Did not get a bite although there were several boats after specks. One boat reported 1 keeper speck. It was a slow bite but a buddy and I managed to put 24 mullet in the box before quitting about noon.


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## FishWalton

Took a friend mullet snatching yesterday....his first trip. After a while he got it figured out and started landing fish...much better than my first trip. We fished from 1:30 to 4:30 and ended up with 24 in the box I have to clean this morning. We fished only 3 hours until almost dark. From reports of others there were at least 175 mullet caught at this hole yesterday. We got only 2 black mullet and the rest were silver. 

Incidentally, we had a FWC Biologist presentation at our local fishing club last week and she said the long drought of no mullet in the eastern end of the bay was caused by the extend period of river flooding. Too much fresh water pushed them down the bay. Things sure have recovered nicely even with the high river a couple of weeks ago, but it only lasted a few days.....not like a year ago when I thought it was never going down.


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## billyb

I wonder if any PFF members know if they are biting in Milton. Sure would like to have a mess. I personally don't know why their have been so few mullet caught the last 2 years. Might be too much fresh water or it might be overfishing like CatHunter said. FWC is guessing. I don't think their has been an abundance of fish anywhere in the bay so where did they go?


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## FishWalton

billyb said:


> I wonder if any PFF members know if they are biting in Milton. Sure would like to have a mess. I personally don't know why their have been so few mullet caught the last 2 years. Might be too much fresh water or it might be overfishing like CatHunter said. FWC is guessing. I don't think their has been an abundance of fish anywhere in the bay so where did they go?



PM Sent!


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## FishWalton

billyb said:


> I wonder if any PFF members know if they are biting in Milton. Sure would like to have a mess. I personally don't know why their have been so few mullet caught the last 2 years. Might be too much fresh water or it might be overfishing like CatHunter said. FWC is guessing. I don't think their has been an abundance of fish anywhere in the bay so where did they go?


.

FWC Biologist at our local fishing club meeting last week attributed the mullet drought to excessive and sustained freshwater flow into the eastern end of the bay over a long period of time. While we have had some good floods in past few months they would go up and down. Talk to a biologist and talk to a game warden and you may get a different answer. Their focus on the fishery is different.


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## FishWalton

It was a little puny yesterday afternoon for us. Fished 2:00 to 4:15 pm....six mullet and 2 bream with a bream buster. We got a late start and the hole had been worked over all day long with considerable success. Three boats still at it when we got there and they got high numbers by the time they quit. We watched two ofthem catch a lot of mullet. The third boat left about 3 pm and said he only had two. He reported 2 earllier boats had their limit and left. 
The two still fishing had them on their spots and dthey would not spread over to us. You know how that goes.


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## g40

This sounds interesting. I cant help but notice how big the mullet seem to be lately. Are you snatching these or using corn or something? If you are snatching them, what kind of setup are you using? Big treble?


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## FishWalton

g40 said:


> This sounds interesting. I cant help but notice how big the mullet seem to be lately. Are you snatching these or using corn or something? If you are snatching them, what kind of setup are you using? Big treble?



What I have been catching for the most part have been small. Have heard about big mullet in Destin and Pensacola areas, and even Hog Town...but red tide is now in Hogtown.

There are many ways to snag mullet. I use a 3/0 or 4/0 treble on bottom and up about 12 to18 inches a #2 or #4 gold or chartreuse treble. I tip one hook with a bright color plastic bit. My buddy just uses a plain single silver 3/0 or 4/0 and no bait. He catches as many as I do and sometimes more. it's what you have confidence in, but I switch around too. 

We use a sinking dry dog food to bait a hole, but there are all sorts of concoctions people come up with. I don't know that one is any better than another but die-ards will stand by their recipe. 

The guys who are consistent simply have the eye and the reflex to go along with the exact right spot at any given time. It can be rewarding or frustrating


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## FishWalton

As of today high water doesn't seem to have sent the mullet down the bay. Buddy and I fished from 1:30 to 4:00 and got 26 with a few of them nice black mullet. The bite was on as soon as we got there. One boat at the hole doing well and said a boat had left earlier with a limit. A lot boats out today but not many fishing mullet. 

We can't seem to get many of the big ones, but will take what we can get. They all eat good.
For the next couple of weeks the river will be in flood stage. The backwater guys will be out in force fishing for those big river shellcrackers out in the swamp.


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## FishWalton

Raining like crazy here in DeFuniak right now....but there was a nice break in the weather this morning that allowed Geezer and I to get a mess of mullet for supper. Five boats at the hole but only a couple were catching fairly well, but all got enough to make it worthwhile. I think Geezer and I were low boat on the totem pole with maybe 10 or 12 in the box....didn't count them. Fished a little with a BreamBuster and caught 3 keeper bream and a couple of small black snapper on puny wigglers. Not a lot of catching activity but it was a good morning on the water with no rain and low wind.


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## FishWalton

Hmmmmm........have the mullet moved out???? Don't know, but folks are getting no bites the past few days at Alaqua. The big river is still so flooded hardly anyone is fishing. I visited Black Creek Lodge twice this week and not a sole parked in the lot. Maybe the continued fresh water has impacted mullet and they have moved down the bay. Two days ago the river was still in the parking lot at Cowford Landing on hwy 20. 

Went with a buddy down to Alaqua this morning. Got there about 9:30 and two boats were just coming in. One was a guy we knew. He's a great mullet snatcher. He fished a couple of hours this morning and a couple of days ago and did not get a single bite
. Boats fishing specks and reds did not get a bite this morning. No bait in the creek for past several days. One guy tasted the water way out in the bay and it was fresh. 

So we did not launch, went back to the house and dropped off the boat....then headed to Eglin to scout some squirrel woods.


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## FishWalton

After reading some really cool mullet recipes my friend brought home from Joe Patti's in Pensacola, I had nothing better to do this afternoon than go fishing and see if there was any activity at Alaqua. All I wanted was 2 or 3 big mullet. Fished 3 hours.....two mullet and they were little silvers. I should have taken the message yesterday more seriously and stayed home. Oh well, it was a perfect fishing afternoon with heavy overcast and decent temp's


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