Tactics

Mullet are normally harvested with nets. "Mullet Nets" are very large, wide-meshed cast nets designed specifically to capture mullet. Angling for mullet is notoriously difficult.Many a hopeful angler has spent long hours casting fruitlessly at an indifferent school of mullet. They will circle, and circle, and sniff, and perhaps even mouth the bait, but will not eat it. In many cases the best hope for the angler is to get the mullet to briefly mouth the bait and strike quickly during the fraction of a second while the mullet has a hold of it.  Groundbaiting or opportunistically sight-fishing for them is the normal method, but results can be disappointing even when the mullet respond to your tactics. Chumming heavily with rolled oats or the chicken feed known as "laying mash" can drive mullet into a feeding frenzy. You can then fish a tiny hookbait under a sensitive float, but the float must be watched closely and the hook set at the slightest twitch. Another effective method is to fish an actual glob of filamentous algae on a tiny hook. In very clear waters where mullet are actively feeding on this kind of algae, this can be surprisingly effective.

Certain natural phenomenon, such as a snail or clam die-off or a large hatch of a particular insect or crustacean, can occasionally turn the otherwise finicky and vegetarian mullet into something of a predator. Under these conditions, mullet provide fine sport, although such occurances can only be recognized through careful observation and experimentation.