mullet run

“If you Like Pina Coladas…”

Let’s be real — the Fall mullet run is not some endlessly massive conveyor belt of stacked bait moving down the coast. Maybe it used to be, in its hay day, but that’s not the reality now, not any more. There’s ebbs and flows, chunks and chonks. The volume and intensity of the migration doesn’t culminate in one single event, it fluctuates throughout the entire transitory period from summer to fall. If you start seeing MASSIVE schools of mullet — it’s because the mullet have started migrating — not because they are about to start migrating. Point being, if you’re waiting til the unanimous proclamation that the bait run is on, you might as well check out of fishing and into pina coladas — like Capt. Glyn Austin on his Carnival cruise this week! Really — if you decide to take a vacation during during the year’s most exhilarating migratory event, I don’t know what to tell you, maybe just stop reading here and start searching for a new hobby!

Surf Conditions & Observations

And now, for fishing the surf and general conditions… It’s pretty slow right now in the surf fishing charter arena… it’s hot as hell and no body wants to book a trip on the beach. I don’t blame them — I don’t really want to be out there, either! The water on the beach warmed up quite a bit this week and my streak of bringing home a pompano on +20 consecutive Melbourne Beach surf fishing trips was officially snapped. It didn’t have to be, though! We had what looked like a would-be keeper wiggle off the line at the last moment in the wash. Oh well, it was a helluva run! Otherwise, we brought in some really nice sized whiting, and some blue runners showed up in the mix this week, too.

Baiting Up: Naturals & Artificials

Sand fleas are still pretty sparse out there. It’s been feast or famine lately. But bait fish remain pretty steadily consistent in the surf (I wonder why, dohh?!?), as do speckled swimming crabs. If you’re fishing drop loops and pompano rigs, I’d recommend rolling to the beach with some FishGum — it’s a bait that works — it won’t cast off, it’s resistant to scavengers, and the fish that we’re gunning for actually like eating it. I like pre-baiting my lines with FishGum at home so I can immediately get all lines deployed, soaking in the surf with zero delay and 100% confidence.

The Loadout

I’ve been rocking 6-7 rods for my dropper loop setups (targeting pompano, whiting, etc). These mostly consist of the following hardware:

– 12′ Andes Tournament Edition Rod
– Penn Pursuit VI
– 20lb braid for main line
– 18′ of 40lb mono for shock leader
– DIY Pompano rigs made with 30lb mono, 2 to 3 drop loops, and each hook/loop paired with one white/translucent bead and one glass pink or orange bead.
– 3oz pyramid sinker

It’s been a formula that has consistently produced quality results all summer long, and I’ll generally be sticking to it for as long as it does.

Also, even if you’re not planning to chase bait pods down the beach on foot, you better come prepared for when the water in front of you experiences a bait black out. Right now, my go to rig for casting on these pods is:

– 7′ Star Rod
– 4000 KastKing Kapstan reel
– 20lb braid main line
– 6′ 60lb mono leader
– Yo-Zuri Hydro Minnow

KastKing Kapstan – JUST ACQUIRED!

I literally just got this KastKing Kapstan and I’ve gotta say, it’s quickly become my favorite reel. I decided to try primarily for the IPX6 waterproof rating — it’s got 15 seals, but the drag and smooth action really did it for me. Right now the Kapstan 4000s are 20% off on Amazon, for $87.99. They call Tsunami’s Saltx the “poor man’s” Van Staal, but even those carry a rich man’s rice tag. I haven’t tested the longevity of these reels, but I’m throwing all my support behind them. I like the product! Give it a shot — I bet you will like it, too.