If you’re in the mood for reading about hurling heavy artillery at the horizon in an all-out big fish blitzkrieg… this post is going to disappoint you. The general theme this time around (after a bit of tackle talk) is mostly about mullet and, more specifically, spinning for mullet. This is really a reflection of the kind of fishing I’ve been doing a lot of and enjoying the most lately, using lighter gear and concentrating on sporting species. I don’t pretend to be even a proficient mullet angler, but I do catch them and I find them fascinating to fish for. The spinning aspect is something that I really got into last year and as I began to take it more seriously, I realised that I had found a style of angling that really appealed to me. Perhaps it’s the glaring contrast of pursuing the seemingly passive, not-particularly-predatory mullet with an active, aggressive technique that is part of what makes it so enjoyable. The bottom line though is that it does work, and it is so much fun when it goes right that I feel that it is an angling experience that everyone with an interest in the sporting aspect of shore fishing should seriously consider checking out.
Last time around I did a mini review of a new reel that I purchased; a Shimano Sedona 3000. As a quick update, my positive opinion of this reel still stands, it’s a fine piece of kit for the price. The only problem I’ve had with it so far is occasionally the click mechanism for the drag seems to disconnect after the reel is washed and dried. Fortunately, the fix for this is quick and easy, just pop the spool off and realign the clicker so that it is straight again: no problem. I particularly like the retrieve of the reel, I often suffer from the common fault of habitually reeling too fast whilst spinning and this reel seems to have the right ratio to correct for this somewhat. As a result, I feel like I’ve got a bit more control over the speed of my lures and perhaps I’ve snagged one or two extra fish as a result. I’ve used it primarily for mullet and bass so the clutch has gotten a good workout and shown no signs of flakiness as yet.
I’ve also bought a couple of new rods lately, both with lighter fishing in mind. For a while now, I’ve fancied one of the HTO Lure Game series of rods, specifically the 9’6’’ rated 10-50g. I’ve used the HTO Rockfish series for some time now and have found them to be brilliant so the logical assumption would be that the Lure Game series would be pretty good too. Fortunately, that assumption seems to hold water as on taking the plunge, buying the 9’6’’, and taking it out for a fish, I was more than suitably impressed. The rod has a crisp, light feel that is very comfortable to fish with. The handle spacing seems to be just right for me and a solid pull with the left hand really sends lures pinging out there. The rod’s action could be described as ‘medium/fast’, although the mid-section is firm enough that casting in tight spaces with a short drop is effective, with the tip flicking lures out a pleasing distance. The rod is sensitive during the retrieve and it is easy to tell what the lure is doing from the feedback up the blank. With a fish on, the Lure Game feels alive and in control; I think you would need a fair size bass and a good sea running to really give the rod any problems. I’ve only used the rod so far with lures in the 15-25g category, although I have tried a bit of mullet spinning with it also. I personally think the Lure Game is far more suited to bass plugging and general spinning for mackerel and pollack than it is spinning for mullet; the rod is quite steely in the butt and lower mid-section and lacks the cushioning effect that I think most would agree is important to play a mullet with confidence. For bass, mackerel and pollack though, it is ideal, and as well as the ability to take your time and play the fish out, the Lure Game will let you quickly horse in little ones for a quick release.
Talking about mullet leads me on to the second rod that I’ve purchased in the last month, a Drennan Series 7 Specialist Avon/Quiver rod. I opted for the 11 foot 1 1/4lb test curve model in this range as I bought it specifically to cover the whole range of mullet fishing that I currently do and am likely to do in the future. Despite knowing very little about the current state of play in coarse fishing rods, I was confident enough buying blind as I had a Drennan Stillwater Feeder rod for a time (until I broke it) and thought it was a nice rod. I was also aware of the solid reputation Drennan has as a brand and that their rods are generally considered good workhorses.
The Series 7 comes with two complete tip sections, one a carbon tip and the other a feeder top section with the choice of two push-in glass quiver tips. The beauty of this design is that it enables one rod to effectively cover the whole gamut of mullet fishing for all three species; the carbon tip is ideal for spinning, either with the aid of a bombarda float or just with the spinner itself, the 2oz glass tip is great for freelining around boats and for touch legering, whilst the 3oz glass is perfect for feeder fishing and is the one that I would probably choose for float fishing (although I haven’t done much of that with this rod as yet). This ability to cover all bases well comes in at less than £100, amazing value when the quality of the rod is considered. Fixtures and fittings are of a decent stamp and the rod feels light and balanced in the hands. With a fish on, the Series 7 feels well in charge, particularly with the carbon tip. Feedback during the fight with this tip is very intuitive and I feel like the rod almost gives me a little warning as I’m just about to put too much pressure on. The value of this when playing fish is best illustrated by the fact that out of maybe half a dozen mullet that I’ve hooked on this rod using the carbon tip so far, I’ve only lost one and that was after a prolonged fight in a fair run of current. Playing a fish with the 2oz glass tip is, as could be expected, a different feel again, with the pliable tip section effectively folding away and giving you a feeling of being more bent into the fish. This configuration almost certainly gives the best protection for fine hooklengths and weak hookholds. For close-quarters harbour mulleting, it is ideal. I’ve not caught a fish on the 3oz section yet but then I haven’t really used it. The feel of the rod with this push in tip is much like the 2oz but a bit steelier. In fairness, you could probably just fish with the 3oz tip for everything, which is a good option to have if you are visiting an unfamiliar mark and you don’t know what method you’ll be using but need to stay mobile.
Keeping on the mullet theme, I want to talk a bit about the technique I have been most enjoying in the last month or two; using baited spinners. Although the two species most commonly associated with this method are thin lips and golden greys, inevitably, you end up catching a healthy dollop of thick lips too. The appeal of spinning for mullet for me is that it is a form of angling that is visually engaging (as you are constantly looking for fish to cast to), and lends itself to a mobile approach, i.e. stalking up and down estuary channels and beaches to keep in contact with the fish. Although a lot of anglers choose to use a modified Mepps spinner, I tend to go for a slightly different approach using Dexter Spin Swivels and various colour beads. This isn’t so much because I think the Mepps is an inferior choice (I can think of several situations where it may be the best option) but they are relatively heavy, and for the bulk of my fishing, I find the lightweight spinners that I make using the Spin Swivel better suited to the way I like to fish.
As well as predominantly using the Spin Swivel, I pretty much always use a bombarda float for casting weight. The bombarda float also serves the very useful purpose of allowing great control over the depth that the spinner works at. By varying leader length and retrieve speed, you can effectively fish from just under the surface to a few feet down and maintain the most successful depth and pace of retrieve. Being able to observe mullet on clear days has led me to believe that this is one of the most key areas for success; the right depth and the right speed. Once the mullet has spotted the spinner and begun following, you can judge how keen it is by its proximity. If it follows from a ways back for a short distance before losing interest, you know that the formula is not quite right and you need to make some tweaks. If it follows right behind and suddenly everything goes solid with a slight delay before all hell breaks loose, you know the formula is spot on.
Other elements are important with the mullet spinner. As is often stated, if using regular ragworm, the worm must be straight on the hooks or the bait will oscillate through the water and the mullet will not take it. If using normal rag, I go for the popular pennel hook configuration as this ensures that the worm doesn’t slip down into a crooked shape and cause the dreaded circular spinning effect. For the size of the bait, I like 2-3 inches from the head end of the animal. If using harbour rag, a single hook is fine and I tend to use a few worms, one slid up the hook to cover the shank, one with the hook passed through to halfway along the worm and the tail left flapping and finally one or two head-hooked and the tails nipped off to shorten the bait a tad and leak scent. I find it really important to harden harbour rag off in paper for a day or two before using them, as worms carrying too much moisture are far more difficult to work with. I had one beach trip recently where my supply of maddies got a thorough soaking from a few sneaky waves. By the end of the session, making a decent-looking bait was pretty much impossible as the worms had gone totally limp.
So to finish off with, I thought I’d describe how I make a simple spinner for mullet. I usually go for the size 3 Spin Swivel and to this I tie about a 6’’ length of 15lb fluorocarbon. I tend to slide on a series of five or so fluorescent beads to add colour at this stage (yellow seems to be a popular colour with the mullet) and I add a sliver of neoprene tubing as a stop to hold the beads in place. If I want a pennel hook, I’ll go for a small coarse fishing hook like a size 8 Drennan Specimen, and using a lighter, I’ll heat the shank near the eye and bend the hook over using pliers so that the eye is roughly perpendicular to the hook shank itself. I then add this hook to the length of fluorocarbon and tie on a size 6 Kamasan B940 Aberdeen (you can use whatever hook you want though), taking care to keep the distance from the hook to the spinner blade looking about right. To form a stop for the pennel hook, I tie a figure-of-eight knot in the fluorocarbon about an inch up from the Aberdeen. This whole assembly should sit straight on a flat surface and track nicely behind the spinner blade in the water, providing the rag bait is put on correctly. To illustrate, the image below shows a selection of mullet spinners; the top two being size 4 Mepps Aglias and the four below being different variations using the Spin Swivel. I do sometimes vary the distance between spinner and hook when I feel it may make a difference. I definitely recommend carrying a selection of different spinners to try as the mullet seem to markedly change their preference from day to day.
Last time around I did a mini review of a new reel that I purchased; a Shimano Sedona 3000. As a quick update, my positive opinion of this reel still stands, it’s a fine piece of kit for the price. The only problem I’ve had with it so far is occasionally the click mechanism for the drag seems to disconnect after the reel is washed and dried. Fortunately, the fix for this is quick and easy, just pop the spool off and realign the clicker so that it is straight again: no problem. I particularly like the retrieve of the reel, I often suffer from the common fault of habitually reeling too fast whilst spinning and this reel seems to have the right ratio to correct for this somewhat. As a result, I feel like I’ve got a bit more control over the speed of my lures and perhaps I’ve snagged one or two extra fish as a result. I’ve used it primarily for mullet and bass so the clutch has gotten a good workout and shown no signs of flakiness as yet.
I’ve also bought a couple of new rods lately, both with lighter fishing in mind. For a while now, I’ve fancied one of the HTO Lure Game series of rods, specifically the 9’6’’ rated 10-50g. I’ve used the HTO Rockfish series for some time now and have found them to be brilliant so the logical assumption would be that the Lure Game series would be pretty good too. Fortunately, that assumption seems to hold water as on taking the plunge, buying the 9’6’’, and taking it out for a fish, I was more than suitably impressed. The rod has a crisp, light feel that is very comfortable to fish with. The handle spacing seems to be just right for me and a solid pull with the left hand really sends lures pinging out there. The rod’s action could be described as ‘medium/fast’, although the mid-section is firm enough that casting in tight spaces with a short drop is effective, with the tip flicking lures out a pleasing distance. The rod is sensitive during the retrieve and it is easy to tell what the lure is doing from the feedback up the blank. With a fish on, the Lure Game feels alive and in control; I think you would need a fair size bass and a good sea running to really give the rod any problems. I’ve only used the rod so far with lures in the 15-25g category, although I have tried a bit of mullet spinning with it also. I personally think the Lure Game is far more suited to bass plugging and general spinning for mackerel and pollack than it is spinning for mullet; the rod is quite steely in the butt and lower mid-section and lacks the cushioning effect that I think most would agree is important to play a mullet with confidence. For bass, mackerel and pollack though, it is ideal, and as well as the ability to take your time and play the fish out, the Lure Game will let you quickly horse in little ones for a quick release.
Talking about mullet leads me on to the second rod that I’ve purchased in the last month, a Drennan Series 7 Specialist Avon/Quiver rod. I opted for the 11 foot 1 1/4lb test curve model in this range as I bought it specifically to cover the whole range of mullet fishing that I currently do and am likely to do in the future. Despite knowing very little about the current state of play in coarse fishing rods, I was confident enough buying blind as I had a Drennan Stillwater Feeder rod for a time (until I broke it) and thought it was a nice rod. I was also aware of the solid reputation Drennan has as a brand and that their rods are generally considered good workhorses.
The Series 7 comes with two complete tip sections, one a carbon tip and the other a feeder top section with the choice of two push-in glass quiver tips. The beauty of this design is that it enables one rod to effectively cover the whole gamut of mullet fishing for all three species; the carbon tip is ideal for spinning, either with the aid of a bombarda float or just with the spinner itself, the 2oz glass tip is great for freelining around boats and for touch legering, whilst the 3oz glass is perfect for feeder fishing and is the one that I would probably choose for float fishing (although I haven’t done much of that with this rod as yet). This ability to cover all bases well comes in at less than £100, amazing value when the quality of the rod is considered. Fixtures and fittings are of a decent stamp and the rod feels light and balanced in the hands. With a fish on, the Series 7 feels well in charge, particularly with the carbon tip. Feedback during the fight with this tip is very intuitive and I feel like the rod almost gives me a little warning as I’m just about to put too much pressure on. The value of this when playing fish is best illustrated by the fact that out of maybe half a dozen mullet that I’ve hooked on this rod using the carbon tip so far, I’ve only lost one and that was after a prolonged fight in a fair run of current. Playing a fish with the 2oz glass tip is, as could be expected, a different feel again, with the pliable tip section effectively folding away and giving you a feeling of being more bent into the fish. This configuration almost certainly gives the best protection for fine hooklengths and weak hookholds. For close-quarters harbour mulleting, it is ideal. I’ve not caught a fish on the 3oz section yet but then I haven’t really used it. The feel of the rod with this push in tip is much like the 2oz but a bit steelier. In fairness, you could probably just fish with the 3oz tip for everything, which is a good option to have if you are visiting an unfamiliar mark and you don’t know what method you’ll be using but need to stay mobile.
Keeping on the mullet theme, I want to talk a bit about the technique I have been most enjoying in the last month or two; using baited spinners. Although the two species most commonly associated with this method are thin lips and golden greys, inevitably, you end up catching a healthy dollop of thick lips too. The appeal of spinning for mullet for me is that it is a form of angling that is visually engaging (as you are constantly looking for fish to cast to), and lends itself to a mobile approach, i.e. stalking up and down estuary channels and beaches to keep in contact with the fish. Although a lot of anglers choose to use a modified Mepps spinner, I tend to go for a slightly different approach using Dexter Spin Swivels and various colour beads. This isn’t so much because I think the Mepps is an inferior choice (I can think of several situations where it may be the best option) but they are relatively heavy, and for the bulk of my fishing, I find the lightweight spinners that I make using the Spin Swivel better suited to the way I like to fish.
As well as predominantly using the Spin Swivel, I pretty much always use a bombarda float for casting weight. The bombarda float also serves the very useful purpose of allowing great control over the depth that the spinner works at. By varying leader length and retrieve speed, you can effectively fish from just under the surface to a few feet down and maintain the most successful depth and pace of retrieve. Being able to observe mullet on clear days has led me to believe that this is one of the most key areas for success; the right depth and the right speed. Once the mullet has spotted the spinner and begun following, you can judge how keen it is by its proximity. If it follows from a ways back for a short distance before losing interest, you know that the formula is not quite right and you need to make some tweaks. If it follows right behind and suddenly everything goes solid with a slight delay before all hell breaks loose, you know the formula is spot on.
Other elements are important with the mullet spinner. As is often stated, if using regular ragworm, the worm must be straight on the hooks or the bait will oscillate through the water and the mullet will not take it. If using normal rag, I go for the popular pennel hook configuration as this ensures that the worm doesn’t slip down into a crooked shape and cause the dreaded circular spinning effect. For the size of the bait, I like 2-3 inches from the head end of the animal. If using harbour rag, a single hook is fine and I tend to use a few worms, one slid up the hook to cover the shank, one with the hook passed through to halfway along the worm and the tail left flapping and finally one or two head-hooked and the tails nipped off to shorten the bait a tad and leak scent. I find it really important to harden harbour rag off in paper for a day or two before using them, as worms carrying too much moisture are far more difficult to work with. I had one beach trip recently where my supply of maddies got a thorough soaking from a few sneaky waves. By the end of the session, making a decent-looking bait was pretty much impossible as the worms had gone totally limp.
So to finish off with, I thought I’d describe how I make a simple spinner for mullet. I usually go for the size 3 Spin Swivel and to this I tie about a 6’’ length of 15lb fluorocarbon. I tend to slide on a series of five or so fluorescent beads to add colour at this stage (yellow seems to be a popular colour with the mullet) and I add a sliver of neoprene tubing as a stop to hold the beads in place. If I want a pennel hook, I’ll go for a small coarse fishing hook like a size 8 Drennan Specimen, and using a lighter, I’ll heat the shank near the eye and bend the hook over using pliers so that the eye is roughly perpendicular to the hook shank itself. I then add this hook to the length of fluorocarbon and tie on a size 6 Kamasan B940 Aberdeen (you can use whatever hook you want though), taking care to keep the distance from the hook to the spinner blade looking about right. To form a stop for the pennel hook, I tie a figure-of-eight knot in the fluorocarbon about an inch up from the Aberdeen. This whole assembly should sit straight on a flat surface and track nicely behind the spinner blade in the water, providing the rag bait is put on correctly. To illustrate, the image below shows a selection of mullet spinners; the top two being size 4 Mepps Aglias and the four below being different variations using the Spin Swivel. I do sometimes vary the distance between spinner and hook when I feel it may make a difference. I definitely recommend carrying a selection of different spinners to try as the mullet seem to markedly change their preference from day to day.