mullet netters question?

[tailwaters]

It's been close to two months since I've fished inshore out of SM . With decent weather predicted for Sunday my buddy David and I decided to give it a shot. We Fished Stoney on the negative low along with a couple other creeks to the east once the water started to come in. Throughout the day we noticed at least 7 boats cast netting mullet like it was their job. I have no idea if these guys were commercial fishermen or not but I can't remember ever seeing that many before. Are they full of roe now or has the market price gone up? Just wondering why so many.

BTW the trout were thick! We even got to sight fish them which is something we don't get to do all that often. Picked up a few reds and a couple sheep too.

[silverking]

Probably both commercial and recreational. With the warm fall extending into December, the mullet seem to have stuck around longer in the backcountry this year. Should be moving out now with the water temps down.

Don't have any problem with either user group targeting mullet with a cast net. Selective fishery with little by-catch or any unintended catch like reds or trout could be quickly released if over-slot/limit.

You know my opinion on illegal gill netting, Tailwaters. Drones with Sidewinder missiles is a simple solution.

[red_yakker]

The mullet run was slow to get started this year, and is still going in places. If they were throwing cast-nets, they were probably mostly recreational. Most commercial mullet fishermen use seine nets.
If done properly, it's pretty rare to catch anything in the net other than mullet.
That being said, a lot of people don't do it properly.

[tailwaters]

I always see big schools of mullet, even in the middle of summer. Just never that many people trying to catch them which is why I asked. Didn't know if their is something special about them now vs other times of the year.

[red_yakker]

The black mullet spawn this time of year (usually a little earlier), so this is when they have roe (eggs). Mullet roe is considered a delicacy by many, and it greatly increases the commercial value of a mullet.
When they are spawning (the mullet run), it is also the easiest time to catch them in a cast net, because they are grouped up in really tight, really big schools.
I don't care for the roe myself. I prefer to catch them just before the run when they are full of fat, or wait until later in the Winter to catch pre-spawn silver mullet in the creeks.
It's not for everyone, but it can be a lot of fun, and an easy way to bring home a big mess of fish for a group.

[eightwt]

The air boats doing it sure get loud, even at a distance. Wonder they ever catch anything with the racket and all the gyrations they seem to do.

[red_yakker]

The air boats doing it sure get loud, even at a distance. Wonder they ever catch anything with the racket and all the gyrations they seem to do.

The air boaters are just like everyone else. Some of them are out there being respectful of others and just trying to have a good time or earn a living. Others are new, don't know what they're doing, and annoy the crap out of everyone else, but mean no harm and are just trying to have a good time. Then you have a handful of truly disrespectful idiots who have no regard for the law, safety, or anyone else's right to enjoy themselves. These are the ones who give air boater and commercial fishermen a bad name.
Oh, and BTW, not everyone on an air boat has a net. A lot of them are just joy riding, and many are hook and line fishing, or spear fishing mullet.

[BloodyChamp]

Some of the "professionals" are idiots tbh.

[Redbelly]

Mullet gizzard

[red_yakker]

Mullet gizzard

I get the gizzard from every mullet I clean. They rarely make it all the way to the table

[Juan]

This thread brings back memories of when gill nets were legal and we would circle schools of mullet with the net and then get inside the net going as fast as possible while throwing M-80s and cherry bombs in the water to scare the mullet into the net. Man, I'm old!