Does anyone out there know how to catch those fish that are always jumping out of the water? I think they are mullet.(at least that is what everyone says. They don't seem to want to eat anything I throw at them. You can see huge schools of them swimming by, some are pretty nice sized. Any suggestions on how to catch them other than "snagging" them?
One last question:
I keep catching these pinkish colored eels. Does anyone know what kind of eels they are? When you catch them they tend to twist themselves up in the line and start heading for your hands or they just end up strangling themselves.

Thanks for the Info In Advance guys.
John Coll

They are mullet - if they are the same fish that jump all over here in Santa Barbara.

I've heard they will eat peas but are difficult to catch even then.

***********************

You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

Every year I take a trip to Florida. Where i stay in Florida, there are mullet jumping round the clock, but more so in the evening and at first light in the morning. If you want to catch them I would set out early. When you see one jump, take your throw net and immediatly cast over where it jumped. Often times you will catch them if you are good with a throw net. I would reccomend using a monofiliment net so it doesnt spook them AS much, and use heavy weights so it will sink fast. Once it has sunk to the depth they might be holding, pull on your hand line sharply to close the opening on the bottom. Take the fish out of your net and fillet the fish. When dipped in batter and deep fried, they are wonderful fish to eat along with hush puppies and fries. MMMMMMM, good ole southern food!!

Till Later,
Joel

To fish, or not to fish, what a stupid question!!

One prob. Throw nets are illegal in CA, at least around this area of CA.

I spent many days at Marina Del Rey harbor as a kid trying to catch these fish with no success. The only way I ever did see these fish caught was by throwing jigs and snagging the fish out of the school.

http://www.mullet.com

Did anyone check out that mullet site that MrTree posted? Click on the the mullet guy, I think I saw some barnis in a rental boat at lopez with hair like that lol.

According to the classic book by the late super-angler Ray Cannon, How to Fish the Pacific Coast, Sunset Books, 1967, the Pacific mullet is a bottom feeder that sifts the sand for food, so the bait must be on the bottom. He recommends a #10 hook still- baited with a "dough ball" made of flour, cotton and banana. This is strange enough, but he suggests trying to add garlic to the mix. Yum.

Good luck, and don't eat the leftovers.

I've been told they'll eat a piece of banana peel on a small hook casted to an area where they'e cruising around. Haven't tried it yet, but might tomorrow. Still a bit leery about bringing a banana fishing with me though... you know what they say about that. We'll see. I'll post my results if I give it a shot.

TL,
Adam

This thread has been cracking me up. I've read Milton Love's "Probably More Than You Want to Know About the Fishes of the Pacific Coast" cover to cover several times and although I don't have it with me here, I don't think a "mullet" was ever mentioned in there. I've fished the SB Harbor a hundred or more times and never seen, snagged, or heard of a mullet being caught. I do know that there are smelt from 4 to 16 inches in there. In the late summer there is also a lot of small mackrel in there which tend to splash and make quick jumps on the surface. I've also seen schools of sardines and anchovies, but never anything like a mullet. So I'm kind of stumped on this one.
There are some wierd fish that live in the outfall at Morro Bay. 10 to 16 inches long, yellowish head and they jump out of the water a lot. Maybe those are mullet? Somebody clue me in here, I think I'm mullet illiterate.

Just saw the mullet.com site posted by Mr Tree.
Now that's a mullet I'm familiar with :-) Har har har har
I love it.

The fish with the yellowish head in morro bay are jacksmelt i thin. I have caught them up to 15 inches in the bay. I know a mullet when I see one, haircut AND fish!! I will take a picture of a mullet up close this summer when i catch some, and i will take a pic of them being fried up too!! I promise the pics will be of fish, not fried hair.

Till Later,
Joel

To fish, or not to fish, what a stupid question!!

Growing up in South Texas we would catch these guys by the dozens throwing cast nets. We only used them for bait and such. The little ones(aka finger mullet) were perfect for catching huge redfish out of the surf. The Reds would just follow the schools up and down the beach. As soon as you saw a scholl pass by the hits were soon to come. I always thought these fish were vegetarian. I could very well be wrong, but thats what I remember. Never once did I see anyone actually fish them with a rod, but I have inadvertantly snagged them, and let me tell you they can pull. The only way I have heard of them being prepared is smoked. Just FYI.........

Clay

The only mullet in California is mugil cephalus, the "striped mullet". It is not covered by Love's book, but it is in the Cannon book and in McCall's Field Guide to Saltwater Fishes of North America.

It may be time for a mullet tournament. Prize to the angler who catches the first mullet in the next ten years. Perhaps a mullet club is also needed.

We could all show up to the tournament wearing our finest mullets (haircut). First prize would be an autographed poster of Barry Melrose, who had the most classic mullet of all time.

BRANDON!!!! You hear that??? LMFAO. You're half way there!!! j/k, sorry guys...
-Brian

Are those the same kind I saw down near Mulege at Punta Chivato? I tried to catch one for shark/marlin bait for 3 days and even with massive schools 20 feet off the beach I couldn't get 1 to honestly bite. I wasn't going to intentionally snag 1 as I've got pride and it was just exasperating to have other fish swim through them to eat a lure meant for them.
Oh well, I still had a Blast.

Tight Lines,
Wade

Rob,
There's mullet in the Goleta Slough. Pete's caught one before. There always jumpin out of the water and we can never catch em on crappie jigs...
-Brian