The hunt for Grey Mullet
Above: Huge Mullet shoal in 8m off the coast of North Wales, UK. Image by Glyn Sadler
The hunt for Grey Mullet.
UK Minimum size 33cm
Size up to 75cm
Euryhaline (fresh & saltwater).
Any time spent specifically targeting a species to hunt is time well spent for me. The Grey Mullet is one of my favourite fish to both hunt and eat. I have had much fun hunting this species in the shallow stringy weed covered coves of North Wales. Usually I find them solitary or in a small group of two or three (larger female with a few smaller males). Though some say otherwise, I have found them to be cautious and seem to know when to keep a distance. Mullet are predominantly vegetarian and they have a rough upper lip that they use to scrape algae from stringy weed. They can often be seen in very shallow water sometimes waiting for a tide to be able to access a fresh water source. My biggest Mullet at 54cm was speared in just 1m of water.
Hunting
This is a fish you need to be ready for as soon as you enter the water. Once it is safe, get your speargun ready, even in just a foot of water. The amount of times these fish have caught me off guard when I’ve just got in the water and starting to swim to a mark is rather annoying. My favourite way to hunt these fish is by slowly stalking the shallows. Surface hunting with very little movement keeping your speargun in close so you have best manoeuvrability, a short speargun is ideal for this. Trying to look through the cover and weed rather than moving it. I only gently kick with one fin when hunting like this and keep head movement to a minimum. A singular Grey Mullet can often be found sat sunning them selves in the open patches between the stringy weed. This gives you the perfect opportunity to make a well placed shot behind the gills. If you don’t get a stone shot then prepare for a good fight. They are a powerful fish and will not give up lightly. If you end up getting a poor shot in gut area than they are likely rip off the spear or line. Once caught the fight is not over. They have a rather effective defence mechanism by way of retractable spikes on their back which can easily puncture a wetsuit or glove. Grab them in and around the gills and dispatch quickly with a sharp knife to the brain.
Below: Two Mullet, Rough Upper Lip & Dorsal Spikes images taken by Glyn Sadler.
Make it count.
In my experience when Mullet are travelling in shoals you’ve got one chance to make a shot as they won’t hang around. Shooting into a shoal can be a daunting task. The last thing you want is to do is get a bad shot or hit an undersize fish. Collateral damage should be considered and if there are fish you can’t size behind the target then don’t take the shot. The key is to isolate the target, don’t rush the shot and have your gun pointing naturally at the target. Basically if you're trying to adjust your arm and wrist to take the shot then missing or bad shot placement is more likely. I have taken a shot against a wall of mullet and hit nothing. In hindsight I was overwhelmed with choosing a target quickly and getting the shot off. In the end not only did I miss but I spooked a nice shoal of good size mullet. Lesson learned!
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Eating
When gutting, be prepared for a large amount of muscular intestine (all good stuff for the crab/lobster pot). When prepping its very important to remove all scales and I usually snip off the spikes to prevent getting punctures to the hand and fingers. I have found a whole mullet will roast well with herbs and spices. De-scaling is easy and they have nice large scales similar to a Sea Bass, rub the edge of your knife against the grain of the scales and they’ll pop off. I do all the de-scaling and prep in the surf or shallow water to help wash the fish and keep the scales from getting everywhere. You can also give the seagulls or crabs a treat with the guts.
Once in the kitchen slice along the flesh of the fish a few times, rub some oil, salt, pepper and any herbs/spices and roast until cooked. What you don’t eat in one sitting will not be wasted. Flake the remaining meat off with a fork and make up some fish cakes to freeze. I go for a 50/50 mix of fish and potato, breaded with fresh egg and seasoned flour, throw some chilli flakes in there for an extra kick. The head and remaining parts can be frozen also and used for baiting crab and lobster pots. If not I return this to the sea also.
Roasted Mullet in olive oil, mixed herbs and chilli flakes. Image Credit Glyn Sadler
Skip to 4min 45sec for Mullet action.
BLOG AUTHOR Glyn Sadler 2023