Redfish or Mullet?

dave7 · Post by **dave7** » April 18th, 2006, 8:19 am

Here's a question that I've been trying to figure out for awhile now...when you're up in the grass and mud looking for redfish and the water isn't clear enough to actually see the fish (but you can see the swirls and fish wakes) - How do you tell the difference between mullet and redfish? I don't know how many times I've casted a spoon at a school of mullet or followed what I thought was reds into a little creek....only to have Henry the pole vaulting fish leap out of the water.

Post by **tin can** » April 18th, 2006, 8:21 am

Keep chunkin. When you find the mullet, you'll find the reds.

Post by **Chalk** » April 18th, 2006, 8:24 am

tin can wrote:Keep chunkin. When you find the mullet, you'll find the reds.

Post by **tin can** » April 18th, 2006, 8:36 am

Chalk wrote:
tin can wrote:Keep chunkin. When you find the mullet, you'll find the reds.

Who is Stupid?

Post by **Sir reel** » April 18th, 2006, 8:49 am

....

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Post by **Short Strike** » April 18th, 2006, 3:23 pm

Hay TC,
Whatcha sayin'? Red fish run with mullet, or they both prefer the same habitat or what?

I'm with Dave7...I can't tell which is which until either a red is on the line, or the dang mullet jumps. 99.999% of the time, the mullet jumps.

Post by **RHTFISH** » April 18th, 2006, 3:35 pm

If they're in the Econfina area...
kindly don't bother either of them.

Seriously, find mullet schools and reds will be around...close!

dave7 · Post by **dave7** » April 18th, 2006, 5:15 pm

Ok....so basically I should continue to stalk mullet...

Thanks guys

Post by **Charles** » April 18th, 2006, 5:45 pm

TC is right.

The other option is to sling a castnet. You can only keep one red, but you can keep lots of mullet.

Post by **noleflyfisher** » April 18th, 2006, 8:07 pm

I find almost all of my new redfish flats by running and looking for mullet jumping. If I see mullet jumping, I'll idle in, drop the trolling motor and spend a half hour looking for reds. You'd be amazed at how many times the reds are mixed in with the mullet.

Post by **rocket** » April 18th, 2006, 8:19 pm

Kind of a tell tale sign...if you're beating the banks or creek mouths in search of redfish, and you see mullet jumping up a head...they are usually there with them.
Now if you can get them to bite...that's a different story

Post by **tin can** » April 19th, 2006, 6:59 am

Short Strike wrote:Hay TC,
Whatcha sayin'? Red fish run with mullet, or they both prefer the same habitat or what?

I'm with Dave7...I can't tell which is which until either a red is on the line, or the dang mullet jumps. 99.999% of the time, the mullet jumps.

You've seen the other responses. Now, I'll give you my theory. I think redfish are basically lazy, or maybe, smart fish. There are all kinds of little creatures in or on the bottom. The mullet stir the bottom up pretty good, when feeding. The reds fall right in the mullet school, or close behind, to eat what the mullet stirred up.

I actually observed this in Boca Ciega. There was one spot the mullet would gather thick. I sat and watched. Occasionally I would see 2 or 3 reds come in there with them, and caught several of the reds. It was a pleasant surprise when 3 of those reds turned out to be snook.

Find the mullet, and you'll find the reds.

Post by **Jumptrout51** » April 19th, 2006, 5:02 pm

OR THE SNOOK