Big Tarpon are of keen interest to both man and beast.
While I’m a big fan of beaches and piers, light-tackle and fly angler Andy Mill follows up his summer Florida Keys sight-fishing tarpon hunt by fishing the mullet run from a flats skiff. Only here, a bow-mount electric motor replaces the pushpole.
Andy’s not a pier rat, and much prefers to stare at tarpon at eye level. For one thing, it allows him to use lighter tackle. He prefers 15- or 20-pound test spooled on top-quality spinning or conventional reels. He uses Owner J-hooks, at least an 80-pound mono leader, and presents baits to the outside edge of the mullet schools.
I guess there’s something to be said for solitude. However, I feel that nothing equals the heart-pumping rush created by several acres of terrified mullet approaching a crowded fishing pier. Everyone’s screaming at once, while lazy hundred-pounders twist through the foaming school. The adrenaline’s so high on the pier you can smell it and by the time the melee gets close, the excitement level reaches a fever pitch. With snatch hooks flying like musket balls at Matanzas, anglers in need of a bait are better advised to avoid the initial onslaught. At times like these, it’s nice to know that an ordinary pilchard (previously captured on a sabiki rig) provides an excellent substitute for a mullet.
More than just tarpon follow the migrating mullet. A seasonal mix of snook, jacks, Spanish mackerel, sharks, and even the occasional kingfish enter the fall surf to feed. While these predators provide an exciting counterpoint to tarpon, anglers normally won’t find this variety in Broward and Miami-Dade County waters. That Heinz variety is more common along the Treasure Coast to the north. Still, make no mistake about it. The tarpon component of the run is better the farther south you go.
With the gillnet gauntlet gone, both black and silver mullet appear to be making a comeback. And with all the recent scientific studies on tarpon, the future should be secure for them as well. Keep in mind that this is one fishery where water quality isn’t such an issue. In other words, South Florida’s Gold Coast anglers can look forward to the fall mullet run for many years to come. SWA
Where are these wandering mullet headed?
Fly casters can reach tarpon, snook, jacks and mackerel that feed on bait schools close in.
As far as anyone can tell, it’s to Florida Bay where they range out over the muddy grassflats. Since individuals of all sizes participate in the migration, it hardly qualifies as a rite of passage (no pun intended). So what makes some individuals leave home while others remain behind? Perhaps the need for genetic diversity, but who knows for sure?
From the tarpon angler’s viewpoint, Broward and Miami-Dade counties represent the epicenter of the run. Considering that tarpon are warm-water fish, it makes sense that the farther south you go the more you’ll encounter. Meanwhile, keep in mind these giants migrate northward during summer. It’s for these ocean-going vagabonds that the mullet provide ideal traveling companions on their return trip.
