Mystical Properties of Mullet
in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach
Every April, thousands of people descend on the state line for the ‘Gulf Coast’s Greatest Beach Party.’ Moms, dads, sons, and daughters will each reach into a cooler, grab a dead fish, and throw it from Florida into Alabama at the Flora-Bama Mullet Toss.
Flora-Bama describes mullet as “one of the more popular and plentiful fish indigenous to this area. It is the only fish with a gizzard and is said to possess mystical properties.”
Tips for Mullet Fishing
Mullet Size
Mullet Size
Mullet come in all sizes. Although the bigger the bait, the bigger the fish theory does indeed prove true many times, there does seem to be a preferred size mullet for tuna. A mullet about the size of a candy bar, six or seven inches, is often called tuna candy because they are so tempting to tuna.
Offshore Fishing with Mullet as Bait
Offshore Fishing with Mullet as Bait
Marlin, tuna, and mahi-mahi are routinely caught on mullet. Many large sport fishing boats in our area have perfected using a teaser dredge full of dead mullet to attract pelagic fish into their spread. However, a dead mullet is not just for teasing up the fish; it certainly will catch them as well.
Mullet can be rigged with a chin weight to swim in your spread, and some like to debone them to aid in the swimming presentation. You can also pull them behind an Ilander lure or a duster just as you would a ballyhoo.
As effective as a dead mullet is, a live one is tough to beat. “A live mullet under a kite around the deep water rigs is nearly impossible for tuna to resist,” said Michaleski. “The charter boats that are out there everyday use a lot of live mullet to catch those big tunas.” The kite keeps the bait just under the surface, and that leads to explosive bites from tuna charging up from the depths.
Inshore Fishing with Mullet as Bait
Inshore Fishing with Mullet as Bait
If you’re not headed offshore but still want to try to find big fish, a mullet can be your friend within sight of the coastline. A live mullet under a balloon just off the beach is one of the best baits you can deploy to try to land one of the ever elusive tarpon that migrate through our waters. Cut out a belly strip of a dead mullet, and put it on a jig. You have some prime bull redfish bait to use at Dixey Bar off Fort Morgan. Then, save the carcasses of the mullet, and load up your crab trap at the end of the day.
Jim Cox
Jim Cox is an avid inshore, offshore, and big game fisherman. He has twice qualified for the prestigious IGFA Offshore Championships in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He is the past president of the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club and the host and master of ceremonies for the Blue Marlin Grand Championship.
