Matching the Hatch During the Mullet Run

During the fall, one of the biggest things that happens in inshore saltwater areas is the mullet run. This is one of the main feeding events for species in this area, and predators like snook, redfish, and speckled trout are all going to be keying in on these fish. While the predator fish in the area are going to be extremely aggressive, it can be a challenge to get them to bite on anything that doesn’t resemble a mullet. That’s why matching the hatch this time of year is so important.

There’s one big reason why you need to try matching the hatch during the mullet run: that’s what the fish are eating. During other parts of the year, it’s common for predator fish to key in on shrimp, crabs, or whatever else is in the area that they can feed on. However, during the mullet run, there is an abundance of food they love all in the area that they swim in, so that’s where their focus goes. They become conditioned to just focusing in on what they’re seeing all day, every day, so you need to adapt accordingly.

Schools of these mullet are usually going to be made up of fish in the 3 to 7 inch range, so you need to keep that in mind when choosing what lures match the profile of a mullet the best. If you’re not throwing something that looks like these-sized mullet, chances are the snook, redfish, speckled trout, and other inshore saltwater predators aren’t going to pay attention to your presentation.

When figuring out what lure is going to work best to match the hatch during the mullet run, there are four main factors to think about.

We talked about this above, but it’s probably also the most important. If you know that the mullet in the area are averaging 4 to 5 inches, then throwing a 9-inch swimbait isn’t going to be your best bet in landing a fish. Similarly, you don’t want to downsize too far and throw a 2-inch crankbait. You need to get something that sits in the same range of the size of the mullet in the area.

Next, you need to focus on the actual profile of the lure and the color that you choose for it. For the profile, you want to match the look of a mullet body as much as you can. They’re going to be a skinny baitfish, so things like swimbaits and jerkbaits can work really well.

As for colors, you don’t have to match their color profile exactly to have an effective lure. Look for options that have silver, white, gray, or black included. You want to focus more on matching the silhouette of the mullet, rather than an identical match to it. If you’re fishing clear water, you may want to opt for a more natural look, leaning towards resembling a mullet more closely. If you’re fishing stained water, don’t be afraid to focus more on contrast and flashes, just to make sure your lure is being seen in the first place. If it remotely resembles a mullet, it’ll get bit.

Finally, make sure you match the action of a mullet with the lure that you choose. Mullet tend to swim steadily in schools in long, consistent movements. They will only make fast, darting motions when they are evading predator fish in the area.

Because of this, you want to use a lure and retrieval method that creates a long, steady movement throughout the water, rather than something that is going to be moving around like crazy. You also want to mix in some pauses to mimic a wounded mullet; this can easily trigger a strike from a fish stalking your lure. If you notice that the fish in the area are actively feeding, creating explosions in schools of mullet, then you can mix in some more erratic movement on the retrieve to mimic a mullet fleeing from predators.

So we know what we’re looking for in a lure to match the hatch during the mullet run. But what are the specific lure types that are going to work best? Here are a few to consider:

• Paddle Tail Swimbaits

• Jerkbaits

• Wake Baits

• Suspending Twitch Baits

• Walking Topwater Lures

These lures can all be used to effectively mimic the size, profile, color, and action of a mullet depending on the situation of where and when you’re fishing in the inshore saltwater areas.

Once you have your lure options figured out, you need to find a good place to actually cast them. While mullet tend to school together, it’s pretty common for predator fish in the area to actually not chase the school through open water. Instead, they wait for these schools to naturally funnel into areas where they’re more closely concentrated, and then strike.

Areas that are good to look for include inlet mouths, jetty rocks, creek mouths, points near moving current, and mangroves. All of these areas provide the type of structure and funneling characteristics that predators are looking for when going after mullet.

To figure out exactly which of these areas is going to produce the best, you need to pay attention to your surroundings. If the water is clear enough, you might be able to just see where the schools of mullet are near these areas. 

Pay attention to dark schools of fish beneath the surface with plenty of flashes; that’s a good indicator that you’ve found them. If you notice birds in the area diving into the water, that can also tell you where to look. It’s also common to see explosions on the surface from predator fish feeding upwards on the mullet, which can be a great area to work a lure through as well.