# What happened to the mullet??



## pogeymoe (May 5, 2009)

Do any of you older guys remeber the days when the schools of mullet seemed endless? Back in the day you could look down the beach forever and there was a steady migration of mullet. I'm talking the bigger mullet not finger mullet.Caught lots of kings on them way back.August seemed to be the start of the run and at times, october would be crazy with mullet.some wherwe someone got a BIG net full cuz they aint like that anymore.Just like these tiny little schools of menhaden. I remember in the 70's and 80's menhaden schools would commonly be 200yds by 100 yds. they would average a pound also.now they are tiny!!


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## The Skink (Mar 9, 2009)

The mullet run usually starts around the end of Aug.


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## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

pogey moe said:


> Do any of you older guys remeber the days when the schools of mullet seemed endless? Back in the day you could look down the beach forever and there was a steady migration of mullet. I'm talking the bigger mullet not finger mullet.Caught lots of kings on them way back.August seemed to be the start of the run and at times, october would be crazy with mullet.some wherwe someone got a BIG net full cuz they aint like that anymore.Just like these tiny little schools of menhaden. I remember in the 70's and 80's menhaden schools would commonly be 200yds by 100 yds. they would average a pound also.now they are tiny!!


in MI they are so many sometimes that even bluefish cant find ur bait or lure. usually this happens in september though. in the good old days they were probably more fish and a longer season. fishing is still decent imo.


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## kingfisherman23 (Dec 14, 2003)

As recently as October of 08 the big schools of menhaden were running through Cherry Grove. Schools so big that you could see them coming for a mile or two. Enough fish that there were kings feeding within 50yds of the baits and not hitting them.

Evan


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## flouder (Jun 23, 2009)

mostlyie the weather but there have been a lot of schools tht are moveing in now to but not so fast


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## pogeymoe (May 5, 2009)

wow............ hadnt fished around there much as of late. 4 years ago i took my boat there and netted pogies that were 5 inches!!!!! unheardof on the oceanside years back. glad to hear they seem to be getting back to normal.i bet the netting by omega really hurt the menhaden all along the east coast.


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## kooler (Nov 2, 2006)

i remember years ago at Cherry Grove, back in the early 70's, how Eugene Platt's crew would take their boats to the beach and run their nets. this would always be in the fall, Sept/Oct.. they would see a school of large mullet heading south and they would put the boat in front of the school and then circle back to the beach and connect the net line up to a pickup truck and pull in a huge amount of Big mullet, spots, and a few other fish. it was always exciting watching them bring the net in and watch them load up the catch. 
they also had a run down looking building right on the beach where they would fry spots up and sell white bread sandwiches. they fried the spots whole and these guys would eat bones and all. it was pretty entertaining hanging out there for sure.
do you guys know if Platts crew are still running the nets in the fall. i would love to watch that again.


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## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

kooler said:


> i remember years ago at Cherry Grove, back in the early 70's, how Eugene Platt's crew would take their boats to the beach and run their nets. this would always be in the fall, Sept/Oct.. they would see a school of large mullet heading south and they would put the boat in front of the school and then circle back to the beach and connect the net line up to a pickup truck and pull in a huge amount of Big mullet, spots, and a few other fish. it was always exciting watching them bring the net in and watch them load up the catch.
> they also had a run down looking building right on the beach where they would fry spots up and sell white bread sandwiches. they fried the spots whole and these guys would eat bones and all. it was pretty entertaining hanging out there for sure.
> do you guys know if Platts crew are still running the nets in the fall. i would love to watch that again.


wouldnt surprise me if some kings were mixed in


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## kooler (Nov 2, 2006)

i dont remember any kings but you got to remember its been along time ago  and i was pretty young but seems like i remember some sea trout and maybe some spanish but im like you, i would not be surprised for kings to be mixed in there also. do you or anyone out there know if they still run the nets in the fall after all these years?


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## kingfisherman23 (Dec 14, 2003)

I haven't seen the Platt's crew running their nets in several years, but then again I haven't been looking. I can remember seeing the trucks pull the nets in when I was younger...the guys would always give me few mullet for bait. Nice fat ones, much fresher than the frozen chit you get in the pier house.

Evan


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## Itzakeeper (Apr 16, 2009)

i netted big mullet in the inlet at marlin quay marina. more than i needed. 12 in. and bigger..


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## pogeymoe (May 5, 2009)

i think they put a stop to the netting some years ago. I fished holiday inn pier way back when and tighlmans pier at o.d..We would net those big mullet and use them for king bait. It was fun and amazing how many fish would pass the pier. Platts did pile up the fish back then. I always enjoyred watching them haul the nets with those little boats!


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## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

Itzakeeper said:


> i netted big mullet in the inlet at marlin quay marina. more than i needed. 12 in. and bigger..


a scored a small school of 12-13 inch mullet at huntington last month. however they were rather thin unlike the ones in late fall. i eat them(large ones)


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## Bobmac (Oct 11, 2008)

Even with the beach work going on last fall there were respectable schools of mullet moving along the beach. I've only been down once in the summer and that wasn't to do any fishing. (only had 3 days and didn't know anything about the fishing back then.)


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