Golden Mullet on the fly in Fuerteventura is just top draw

getting ready to wade out

After the previous days session I was very eager to get the fly rod out, this is my love and hooking a sea fish on this light tackle is just magical.. I chatted with Arran out of the go fishing shop and he told me a few holding spots for the mullet... These fish have a reputation of being very hard to catch, I have caught some big harbour ones as a kid but I fancied the wild sea mullet.. I chose to fish right out on the main beach front.. It was a perfect mullet looking spot, gentle sloping off with mixture of sand and rocky bottom.. Fly fishing for mullet is something that's getting quite big in the uk but the Spanish locals only really fish for the big game fish on big heavy rods.. I was gonna have to work out the best methods myself to get some fish on the bank.. I had read of breadfly working well for these and I had not got anything in my fly tying kit to make them.. Pacing around the apartment was hunting for a bread material.. It was the pillow that caught my eye.. A quick slit in the pillow and I had a handful of white stuffing, basically the same as antron!! This was whipped on a size 18 grub hook with a tan thread to give me a slight crust colour and I had the perfect bread fly made.. The weather was hot and the tide had just come in to it maximum so all looked well..my plan was to wade out as far as I could, turn around and face the shore with the sun facing me as not to cast big shadows and spook the fish... I had a three fly set up on a 10ft leader with 0.12 stroft mono.. I stood in the water to my waist and started to fill around me in a 10 ft square of bread crust broken up..some would float and also some would fall instantly.. 5 minuites past and the tiny mullet started to come in there hundred hammering into the bread... I kept feeding and before long I could see through the gin clear water black tail fins the size of my hand fizzing all around me..the bigger fish had moved in and were feeding cautiously.. They would swim in there packs in a circle moving in and out of the feed.. I casted my setup amongst the feeding fish and was confident of a immediate hook up but this did not happen.. I was getting quite frustrated and had to think why it was not working.. My flys looked perfect, I was fishing very fine line and dare not go any smaller.. I stood there and watched with my Polaroids to see what was happening.. I was amazed to see that they were sipping in my fly and spitting it out so quick I could not get any incline I had even had a bite..mullet are sifters of silt and are obviously very aware of what is a food source and not.. They were just mouthing my flys and spitting them instantly out..I had no chance of seeing the takes properly so my only option was to fish resi style like buzzer fishing where I would cast the straightest line possible and let the tide D the fly line and keep in touch with the whole set up by very slowly figure of eight retrieve that just kept me in touch.. Within seconds of doing this I had my first pull on the line and it came off... My heart started to thump as I knew i had found the method.. After countless bump offs I hooked into a fish that held and a absolutely  lovely golden mullet scrapped its head off infront of me.. Only a small fish of around 6 oz but gave me rod bending action and fought for it life with surging runs.. I handed in the mullet and admired this amazing elusive rod caught fish.. Pure solid streamlined profile made for the sea currents.. I realised what it would be like to hook a big one of these and it made me fish as hard..
I was buzzing with my new method and every cast produced a bump or a mullet....standing in warm water with the sun on your face hooking these wild speed demons was just pure living the dream... my mrs was sunbathing 100 yards from me so was she was happy!!
I looked into the gin clear water and could see bigger black tails in there shoals swimming past at a unbelievable speed..acting very different than the smaller mullet...i knew these older fish were wise and hooking one would be very hard...they were circling and taking the same path every time they came past me hitting into any free bread offerings that the smaller fish had not taken...they were very shy and would not hit the surface in the glaring sun but looked well on the feed....
i walked further back to give them some distance and threw a 25 yard line into the larger fish feeding lane, before i could set my D in the fly line my lamson sped off in nothing it has ever experienced taking line at a unbelievable rate!! i had hooked a proper mullet......i just hoped for the hook hold in this 20 yard run and stood there with a looped over rod just watching my reel fly!!
i managed to turn the fish at 25 yards and it was circling around me at a pace no trout can ever reach, the mullet were taking my bread offerings to my left and the fish just ploughed through them with mullet fizzing on the surface in despair...
Every time the mullet got closer to me it found more strength to sprint off again and each time it was getting tired....


check out the bread fly!!

I held my hand out and the mullet came on the surface straight into my hand...the sheer solidness of these fish and the fin positions show why they are such fighters...

profile of a sprinter

its ok JT i washed the lamson

The fish was a Golden mullet of just over a pound and a absolute joy to be holding....


silver bar

I told my mrs we were having a free meal again tonight and golden mullet was on the menu, i had dispatched 4 perfect sized fish and kept them in a water tight tin to keep them fresh...
I had caught over 15 mullet in a few hours session and on my light fly tackle it was one of my biggest highlights in fishing ever.....

free fresh meal

I showed Aram my catch and he was well pleased with how many i had taken, especially the golden mullet which are known for being very shy...the pound fish was classed as a specimen as the record is only around 3lb..


one hour later and in the pan

priceless

The next few days i had some of the same action and lost a mullet that took me to my backing with a hook pull...!!

Golden mullet 'living the dream'

If you ever get the chance to fish for mullet while on holiday with a fly rod its one of the most exiting ways to fish and i personally think its more productive than using a bait rod and line as you setup can fish the surface where these fish feed....

Will be back soon
Nice one
Glen