# round head question



## beachcaster (Nov 8, 2002)

I was down in kitty hawk for a week and had some real pretty troughs and fished sand fleas and shrimp all week in them and didnt get the first bite from any round head. I used small circle hooks, j hooks. gold popano hooks and didnt get a nibble. Something kept getting the sand fleas tho but never felt a nibble. Sometimes it was bit in half, the insides sucked out, or it was gone completely. What in the world was getting them? Like I said I never felt a nibble and I was sober( well maybe buzzed a lilttle off and on ). The shrimp I bought were medium carolina shrimp that I salted with koscher salt so they would last the week. Was that wrong? Im coming back in two weeks and hope the bite is better. Im strictly fishing from the surf. I know the avalon pier is good but I just prefer the beach. Any suggestions on these roundhead? Ill be at the 3 mile post. Thanx guysopcorn::beer::fishing:


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Did you have really heavy rods?


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## kyoung490 (May 21, 2007)

Just got back from up that way, fished from sandbridge VA to ocracoke...
All the sea mullet we got were 4"-5" on fbbw and shrimp, the small sea mullet sucked out the insides of the sand fleas and the calico crabs cleaned up the rest of them. 
Around here small hooks with a tiny (1/4"x1/4") piece of fish bites bloodworms has produced some nice smullet including some pomps.


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## drawinout (May 11, 2008)

Try squid strips in spring. You brought back some memories when you mentioned the third mile post!!! What ever happened to the "newer" Bert's surf shop that was there? They still have the old one in Nags Head, right? Myself and a few other EC boys used to stop in every so often to skate when I was younger. The old Backdoor skate shop was fun when I was young too!!! From what I understand they have that nice YMCA skate park down there now... Try it next spring Beachcaster. Should find the roundhead then.


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## beachcaster (Nov 8, 2002)

Fishing rod was a 7 foot st. criox MH with 10pp 1-2oz sinker and like I said I even used the small gold pompano size hook for the round head. It was usally high tide and I was throwing from 5-10 ft off the shore keeping my bait in the trough ( troff ) however its spelled.


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## Fish Hunter (Jul 31, 2002)

Here is some info posted over the last year and compiled.
*Sea Mullet Tips*
Like stated before they hang out in different places in the surf at different times of the year, plus we catch two different types of Sea Mullet. The Northern Sea Mullet is the long skinny silver one with the long 1st ray of the dorsal fin, usually dark colored. The Southern Sea Mullet is fatter one with the dark bands on its sides; this one tends to get a little bigger than the Northern. 

In the spring they hang on the inside of the outer bar, as the water warms they come right to the drop off and eat Sand Fleas and Coquina Clams. In the summer we have put on masks and on a calm day spent hours belly down in the ocean watching them, they run the drop off and will come all the way up on the shelf with a wave to scarf up Sand Fleas and retreat back with the wave to behind the drop. In this situation you must put your bait right on the drop 2 feet outside the drop and you are fishing behind the fish and they won’t see your bait. In the Fall they will be on the drop unless you are fishing a big East facing beach with a big outer bar that is well offshore, like Avon, then they can settle in anywhere in the slew on some unseen structure on the bottom.

There is a third species caught on the OBX; Gulf Whiting or Sea Mullet. They are generally summer visitors. They are smooth colored and have an orange tint with no banding in clear water. They also are the biggest grower with a size potential over 3 pounds. 

Summer full moons with the soft shell sand fleas brings the sea mullet to the beach wash. Fleas shed in abundance around the summer full moons. It seems the Gulf Sea Mullet spawn on the summer full moons, probably creating food for the sand fleas. The mid size fleas with their own egg on their swim appendages are the best bait for the mullet. Its complicated out there.

Tackle is pretty simple; hand tied double dropper loop bottom rigs with 2 No. 4 Bear Paw spinner hooks, pretty much my standard. When the water is gin clear in the summer I will go to fluorocarbon and No. 5 naked hooks. In the fall when the fish are bigger I move up to No. 3 or 2 hooks.

Bait, Hands down Softies, then Shrimp and Blood worms, in the fall they will hit cut Mullet as well.

Spring, they seem to like staying out near the bars. Long cast seems to get them while a short cast in the wash has not produced much.

Summer they seem to move in closer with a rod in the wash and sometimes a lob into the slew.

Fall, they seem to be all over from the wash all the way out to the bar, although I have had my best luck in the fall finding white water from a close bar and casting on top of the bar.

Baits, as said fresh shrimp. Sand Fleas also. Fall, small pieces of cut mullet or bunker (have caught nice pups as well) and BWFB have done well for me.

I use hand tied bottom rig with orange beads or small bead corks tied above the hooks. I use a very light and soft tipped Eagle Claw 8’ rod with a Okuma spinning reel for tackle. As long as I can toss up to 3oz with it on the SE Beaches, its great. At HI, you have to up the tackle to handle the surf.

I have had my best luck reading the surf and finding deep drop holes and sloughs. I have caught them on flat beaches, but have had much more luck in deeper water. I prefer a falling tide and tide often plays a very important role in catching or just fishing. I often plan a day trip to start fishing around the top of the high tide, if I know the location I want to fish. I like to buy the very freshest shrimp I can find. I often will go to two or three bait shops to find shrimp. If it smells like shrimp it is too old. I prefer shrimp that smells similar to salt water. I also like to use fresh bloodworms when fishing for big sea mullets. I have found in the Surf City/Topsail area the big sea mullets prefer fresh bloodworm or a shrimp/bloodworm comb. Sand fleas are almost great bait. In searching for a good location look for sand fleas in the suds.


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## beachcaster (Nov 8, 2002)

Thanks fishhunter, great info. I was doing a lot of what you described except maybe not getting close enough to the sand bar edge and like Kyoung above stated about the little 4-5 inchers stealing bait I think thats what was happening. Maybe my shrimp being salted to last was a factor too. Ill be giving it a shot next weekend again. Maybe Ill drop a few on the other side of the sandbar in a little deeper water, we will see... thanks again.:fishing:


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## Starboard (Apr 23, 2008)

Fish Hunter - Good post and info. I've used soft sand fleas for over 20 yrs and didn't know they shed around a full moon! 

Beachcaster - I was fishing Emerald Isle last weekend with FRESH shrimp. Bait stealers got my bait every cast. I think it was small pin fish getting the bait. Started to look for soft sand fleas. Sometimes it took a little digging but found them and had a nice sea mullet 1st cast. Caught about 5 or 6 nice ones in about 45 minutes, every one on a soft sand flea. If you dig, you can usually find a peeler. One that is ready to shed, but didn't start yet. Just push down on the shell gently and see if the shell cracks. Find 1 or 2 and you'll get the hang of it. Oh yea - the peelers NEVER have the orange eggs underneath.


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## beachcaster (Nov 8, 2002)

Thanks starboard, I have a sand flea rake so hunting will be easy.:fishing:


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

don't know what you are calling round heads but I just got back from Frisco and we hammered the Spot and Mullet this past week on Real bloodworms .... Tried shrimp, cut spot, FBBW's and fleas all with very little action .... but the Bloodworms were the ticket ... somedays I couldn't make it to my chair before one was hitting begging to be added to my cooler  .... I had one mullet that was 6" and one that was over a lb and most were about 10" .... spots were all big enough to fillet with no dinks and no hogs ..... and almost all fish came about 50 yards out half way to the first bar


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## beachcaster (Nov 8, 2002)

roundhead and sea mullet and whiting are all the same fish. Different name from different localaties but the same fish. Like flukes and flounder are the same. Thanks for the info. I had got away from real bloodworms using fishbites instead so it may something Ill have to consider, thanks again. Ill be down this weekend.


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