October and early November can offer some of the best mullet fishing of the year as these fish often feed hard prior to the onset of winter. In past decades the end of October signalled the end of the mullet fishing season but now these wily fish can be caught throughout the year. Harbours and rock marks are well worth fishing throughout North Devon.
Daniel Welch dominated Combe Martin SAC’s Lyn Fish competition taking the top three places with grey Mullet of 5lb 5oz, 3lb 8oz and 3lb 2oz. His son Solly also enjoyed success tempting a mullet of around 2lb.
Ten anglers fished the competition with Open coast fishing for heavyweight species proving difficult with just a few dogfish caught on baits intended for ray, bass and huss.
Combe Martin SAC member Daniel Welch is keen mullet angler and has enjoyed recent success tempting specimens of 5lb 1oz and 4lb. 
Bideford Angling Club member Stephen Found has been chasing a six pound plus grey mullet for several years. His quest has come to an end with the landing of huge mullet scaling 7lb. The fish caught from a North Devon estuary sets new record for Bideford & District Angling Club.
Some superb mullet have been tempted from North Devon waters in recent weeks. John Shapland caught this fine thin lip of 3lb 15oz from a North Devon estaury mark using a baited spinner.
(Below) Mark Jones was targetting bass when a speciemn thick lipped grey mullet of 4lb 9oz seized his lure.
Mullet anglers are enjoyed some great sport in the estuaries with both thick and thin lipped mullet. These fish are at time present in large numbers seeing them is easy tempting them not always so!
Over the past couple of years, I have been trying to catch grey mullet on the fly without success. On my latest excursion I joined fellow Combe Martin SAC member and mullet enthusiast John Shapland.
John took me to a mark in the Taw estuary where he has enjoyed some success recently using traditional mullet tactics. John had noted that the mullet were feasting on small sand shrimps and had corresponded with the fly fishing for mullet maestro Colin McCloud whose excellent book “Mullet On The Fly” has inspired many fluff chucker’s to target the wily mullet. With a bright blue sky and not a breath of wind it was a joy to be at the waters edge.
John and I arrived just as the tide started to push. We set up our tackles and watched the water for signs of mullet. As the tide gained momentum swirls on the surface showed the presence of good sized fish. I put out a line with two shrimp imitations and allowed it to drift with the current giving the occasional twitch to impart life.
The numbers of fish increased and my optimism grew as these fish were undoubtedly feeding. I missed a couple of pulls that raised expectation further. Suddenly the line zipped tight and I connected. The rod hooped over and I glimpsed a silver flank. Disappointingly It was a bass of around 1lb that saved a blank and was added to later in the session with a second bass slightly smaller.
The mullet were undoubtedly feeding on the sand shrimps and could be seen slurping them off the surface like nymphing trout. I feel I had a few near misses with the frustrating grey ghosts. I will be back again. It was good to fish with John as he fished traditional bread bait tactics and also blanked on the mullet. If I had fished alone with the fly I would probably have though I would catch if I had been using bait.
Catching fish on the fly can be seen as an elitist tactic it can also be an extremely effective method in its own right adding another string to the angler’s repertoire.
Sea anglers faced a stormy weekend that impacted heavily upon local shore competitions. Bideford Angling Club and Appledore Shipbuilders both had fixtures on Sunday where members braved the strong winds and heavy rain to no avail with nil fish registered in either competition.
Combe Martin SAC members fished a weekend long competition that enabled members to embrace Saturdays more favourable conditions. Kevin Legge took the top two places in the match with bull huss of 9lb 12oz and 8lb 10oz. I took third place with a winter mullet of 2lb 12oz.
It is clear that thick lipped grey mullet are present in waters around the South-West throughout the year. When I first started fishing for mullet over forty years ago these fish were considered to be a fish of the warmer months. It is now apparent that they can be caught in every month of the year throughout the South-West.
A flashing silver flank in the cold clear water.
A pleasing tussle, a well bent rod and a brace of January mullet to 3lb 8oz.
When I started fishing for mullet over forty years ago we considered the season to run from May until the end of October. Now it’s 12 months of the year on the open coast.
Combe Martin SAC member John Shapland tempted this fine specimen thick lipped grey mullet weighing 4lb 7oz on his latest trip.