# Sea Mullet aka Whiting???



## Fireline20

Ok clarify this for me. Is Sea Mullet the NC name for Whiting which is actually scientifically known as King Fish?

Also there are two species of King Fish, Northern King Fish and Southern King Fish, which is a Sea Mullet or are both jointly refered to as Sea Mullet

Also why in the world with something that tastes as good as Whiting, would anyone call it a Mullet. In SC mullet is trash bait fish.:fishing:


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## Cdog

Yes, they are the same.

Mostly catch southerns in NC although I got a northern one time and wasn't sure.Steve Hissey at the Roost had to break out a book to make sure.

As to why they are named mullet,I dunno.I call em dinner.


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## surfchunker

*Dinner here too*

one of the tastiest fish out there ...... and the heads make great bait .....


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## Conrad

*Let's not forget...*

Virginia Mullet! Just heard that one again yesterday while buying some shrimp for bait.

Oh, and don't tell the folks over by Swansboro that a true mullet is a trash bait fish, they'll put a whoopin' on ya! lol I know some folks that swear that burnt jumping mullet is the best thing since sliced bread. :--|


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## Fireline20

Conrad said:


> Virginia Mullet! Just heard that one again yesterday while buying some shrimp for bait.
> 
> Oh, and don't tell the folks over by Swansboro that a true mullet is a trash bait fish, they'll put a whoopin' on ya! lol I know some folks that swear that burnt jumping mullet is the best thing since sliced bread. :--|


Jumping Mullet that is one I have not heard in a long time. 

Down at Hilton Head the old story goes that Jumping Mullet are so stupid you can catch them on a piece Styrofoam with a hook in it. Never tried but have a seen tons of "Jumping" Mullet at Hilton Head:fishing:


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## surfchunker

*jumping mullet*

is the bait you buy in stores ....... lots of them in the canals/ditches


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## Lightload

Yep, Sea Mullet, Kingfish, Whiting, whatever you call them are excellent table fare! And like Surfchunker says, the heads make excellent bait for both Drum and Stripers!

Kingfish also make a great target when you want to get some kids involved in fishing.


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## red_fish

also called roundhead and are some of the most tastey fish out there as someone else said :beer:


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## basstardo

I always called them roundhead. For a while I didn't know sea mullet and roundhead were the same fish. Never really targeted them until this past fall. They're some fine eatin' fish though.


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## Carolina Rebel

Get around certain people and they're puppy drum! 
Seriously, virginia mullet/c mullet/northern (and/or southern) kingfish/roundheads/whiting are some of the finest fish you'll ever eat! 
Conrad, having worked for awhile in Jacksonville I've met a few people who claimed those big ole jumpin' mullet are good eats, haha I'd try it but I'm not sure I'd like it. I've caught a big one on light tackle with a tiny doughball on a tiny hook, and let me say they are some hard pulling jokers.


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## basstardo

Carolina Rebel said:


> Get around certain people and they're puppy drum!
> Seriously, virginia mullet/c mullet/northern (and/or southern) kingfish/roundheads/whiting are some of the finest fish you'll ever eat!
> Conrad, having worked for awhile in Jacksonville I've met a few people who claimed those big ole jumpin' mullet are good eats, haha I'd try it but I'm not sure I'd like it. I've caught a big one on light tackle with a tiny doughball on a tiny hook, and let me say they are some hard pulling jokers.


Lot of them Carolina boys'll eat those jumping mullet. I think DrumDum eats 'em. I'm with you. I'd try it, but I'm not sure I'd like it.


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## Redhorse

I think we had this conversation last year...being from Ohio, and having lived on the Gulf for a few years, the whole whiting/mullet/kingfish thing really took me a while to wrap my head around. Finally posted a pic of one I caught...got so many different names that I had to look it up in my sportfishermans bible (knew it would come in handy for something ). 

It's no wonder they made me memorize all those scientific names in my Ichthyology classes


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## Fishman

They are all the same


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## fishinmama

basstardo said:


> Lot of them Carolina boys'll eat those jumping mullet. I think DrumDum eats 'em. I'm with you. I'd try it, but I'm not sure I'd like it.


tip- shake some cholula on em -- betcha that'd work!


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## Rockfish1

jumpers or hard head mullet are excellent eating... they just stink slightly while cooking if you do it indoors... we used to smoke'em... very good that way...


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## basstardo

fishinmama said:


> tip- shake some cholula on em -- betcha that'd work!


Gotta be the chili garlic though.


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## jmadre

We fried some up last summer and they were good! Had a local comm. fisherman try them and he insisted on seeing the heads to make sure that they were really jumpin' mullet. Said he would have lost $100 betting that they weren't.

As far as sea mullet/whiting/kingfish...a rose by any other name tastes the same when breaded and deep-fried.


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## gshivar

*common names*

most fish have numerous common names. Channel Bass - red drum - red fish - spot tail bass. Spotted weakfish - spotted sea trout - speckeled trout - specks. Anyone know other names for these critters?? - glenn


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## Conrad

jmadre said:


> We fried some up last summer and they were good! Had a local comm. fisherman try them and he insisted on seeing the heads to make sure that they were really jumpin' mullet. Said he would have lost $100 betting that they weren't.
> 
> As far as sea mullet/whiting/kingfish...a rose by any other name tastes the same when breaded and deep-fried.


I'm still leary. The locals around Swansboro/Hubert swear that you put butterfly them down the back, heads on and put them on the grill, scales down, untill the skin burns, i.e.-burnt mullet. I've smelled it, and that didn't really work out so well for my appetite.


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