# Monster Mullet - New PB



## Sunny (Jan 15, 2010)

My new reel had arrived in the postâ€¦Shimano 2500 GTM-RA Stradicâ€¦ so loaded it with Berkley Trilene Flurocarbon line and plotted where to test it out !

I had decided to stay closer to home and with strong north-easterly winds a lot of venues were out.  So after much thought I picked my mark and launched the dinghy.

The day was slow and with virtually no fish activityâ€¦.  I was starting to doubt my choice of venue.  But this was the specimen hunting I had promised myself and so I knew that the numbers would be few; but the potential rewards could be incredible.  Still, it doesnâ€™t help when you are sat there waiting â€“ waiting â€“ waiting and still waiting.

I kept with the programme and at least the sun was outâ€¦â€¦  

After 5 hours of constant attention to bait and tackle at last a feeding fishâ€¦ I readied the cast and you just know itâ€¦ a tangle developed in the new line around the reel.  Fluro is amazing stuff, but by-goodness it can tangleâ€¦ worse then braid sometimes.
So I wasted 3-4 minutes bloomin untangling the line.  The tide was dropping fast and the fish had moved out of the swimâ€¦I was not happy.. it was probably my day overâ€¦ a BLANKâ€¦ bO%%*£ks !!!

5 minutes later - with my spirits low â€“ and the time to head home rapidly passing I saw a group of Mullet playing but not feeding.  So I went to work on enticing the devils to feed â€¦ but with no luck.  Then as I was getting close to giving in a new fish moves into the group and immediately starts gulping in the ground bait.  It looks a reasonable fish, but my view isnâ€™t perfect, but what the heck..its a fish !

Baited hook in and pause â€“ two â€“ threeâ€¦.. bang Iâ€™m inâ€¦ and she takes off, thrashing about wildly, followed by a rod screaming chargeâ€¦ bring it on baby   
I wish I could have got a photo of the rod in actionâ€¦but I was a tad busy at the time>  There is nothing like a Preston Innovations for pure aesthetic beauty in actionâ€¦ the 17ft rod was bent double and I have to confess to giving it lots of stickâ€¦ I thought it was a big 5, or a 6â€¦so wasnâ€™t being too cautious with the play.  If I had known what I had hooked then I would have played safe and not over-pressured the line.  Iâ€™m still wincing now at how aggressively I played the fish.

Anyway, I got away with it and when she finally weakened and I got a good look at her I was totally shocked and excitedâ€¦ what the heck had I hooked â€¦. My giddy-aunt !

Now for the fish porn...







Guys I thought that my season had held some truly miraculous moments and I honestly believed that my previous PB of 8Lb 15oz would stand for yearsâ€¦if not my lifetime.  This fish I knew had blown that out of the waterâ€¦.

*10Lb 3oz* Thick Lipped Grey Mulletâ€¦. setting a new Hampshire Record and 2oz heavier than the UK Boat Record; which has stood since 1952 

After 32 years of fishing for these grey-ghosts I will never forget the moment when at first I saw her coming into the netâ€¦ and that wonderful moment when she left me to carry on making baby Mullet for the next generation of specimen hunters in 25 years time






Well the Stradic works


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## Gunny146 (Jan 15, 2010)

Awesome deal!!!!!!


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## Hut2 (Jan 15, 2010)

Good gosh what a mullet! Congrats.......


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## oldenred (Jan 15, 2010)

good bait right there!


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## bouymarker (Jan 16, 2010)

you got to be kidding!!! That's the biggest mullet i've ever seen.


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## Parker Phoenix (Jan 16, 2010)

I didn't know they got that big. I googled fishing in theUK and it seems mullet is a very popular fish. Ya'll also have a lot of fishing clubs over there.


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## Skinin&Grinin (Jan 17, 2010)

Can you imagine the size of the flounder you could catch on that one!! LoL


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## Parker Phoenix (Jan 17, 2010)

Skinin&Grinin said:


> Can you imagine the size of the flounder you could catch on that one!! LoL



Thats what I was thinking, only I was thinking jewfish.....


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## HAWGHUNNA (Jan 17, 2010)

Congrats on the awesome fish,and the new record.


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## DEERFU (Jan 17, 2010)

Awesome catch! Thanks for posting


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## ryanwhit (Jan 17, 2010)

man, the guys in S GA and N FL would have that sucker on the smoker in no time...

Congrats on a new record!


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## boohoo222 (Jan 17, 2010)

what a monster


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## gp lineman (Jan 18, 2010)

Congrats! Thanks for the story.


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## Paymaster (Jan 18, 2010)

Congrats!!!!!!!
Big ole mullet!


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## swamp hunter (Jan 18, 2010)

Big Ole Mullet thats for sure. you say your using a 17 ft rod!!??


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## maker4life (Jan 18, 2010)

ryanwhit said:


> man, the guys in S GA and N FL would have that sucker on the smoker in no time...
> 
> Congrats on a new record!





You could make a lot of dip with that one !

Awesome catch .


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## Sunny (Jan 19, 2010)

swamp hunter said:


> Big Ole Mullet thats for sure. you say your using a 17 ft rod!!??



Yep 17ft...in my humble opinion the best rod for Mullet ever made.  The Preston Innovations CarbonActive Excel

http://www.prestoninnovations.co.uk...ds_large/carbp03_rod_excel17ftfloat_large.jpg

They are designed for freshwater waggler float fishing in deepwater canals.  But in the sea no one uses them.  But Mullet are shy and canny fish so you need light lines and float control in deep water...and the perfect rod is long and has a great through-action.  A lot of modern long (15-20ft) rods are all tip action and too stiff in the body of the rod...so they don't bring much to the fight.  Prestons' Excel range take the entire fight; cushioning those massive charges and head shaking attacks.  I fish with 4-6Lb flurocarbon lines, so you need the rod to work with you, not lock up after the tip has done its bit...check out these action shots ....and this was only a 4Lb fish


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