About The Mullet Run

The mullet run is a seasonal migration of mullet fish along Florida’s coastlines, that transforms its waters into a flowing hub of activity. From September through November, millions of mullet travel south in search of warmer waters, creating a feeding frenzy for predators like Tarpon, multiple species of shark, Snook, Barracuda and Jack Crevalle. This migration offers an unparalleled opportunity for anglers to engage in thrilling sport fishing.

Fishing From Shore

When it’s mullet run season, from shore I use an 8ft heavy rod paired with an 8000 size reel spooled up with 25lb mono and a topshot of 40lb braid tied to my 60lb leader. Hook a mullet in the top of his back in between the two dorsal fins. Using the right size hook for your bait is crucial, too big and he might not get bit, too small and the hook might not stick. Also try to hook as little of the bait as you can, you want the circle hook exposed as much as possible while still being able to cast your bait from the beach and not pulling through. Let your bait swim freely trying to merge in with the schools as they pass, keep your bail open with your finger on the line and once he gets picked up drop the line and let the fish eat for a couple seconds. Then close the bail, reel tight and hang on!

Fishing From A Boat

Fishing on the boat during the mullet run is much different than from shore. We can step down our tackle a bit and jump from school to school looking for the ones that have the most predators on them. Keep your distance from the schools, there’s no reason to blast right through them with the boat it will most likely turn the bite off as fish will move down to the next school. The big Tarpon are usually on the outskirts of these schools herding the mullet tight together then blasting right through the middle of the school to eat and then return right to the outside again. I like to slow troll big mullet down the edge of the schools and let the tarpon come to me.

I use 7ft Medium Heavy Rods with 6000 sized reels spooled up with 20lb mono, tied to about 80yds of 30lb braid then to a long 6ft 50lb mono leader. The mono gives us the stretch we need when that fish jumps and the braid is there to give us that pulling power once we get the fish close to the boat. Keep in mind there is always a good amount of sharks around during the mullet run so it’s important to fight the tarpon hard and fast to insure a quick and healthy release. Hook your mullet in the top lip and get him about 40 – 50yds behind the boat, put out a second bait only 5 yds shorter than the other. Similar to fishing from shore, hold your rod with the bail open, finger on the line and when that bait gets blasted drop the line count to three, close the bail, reel tight and hang on!!