Mullet on the fly......

Fly fishing for mullet can be a frustrating and infuriating experience says saltwater guide Richie Ryan. 'Its hard enough to catch the Grey Ghost using traditional methods but is much more challenging on the fly. The mullet were late in to our estuaries again this year. Some fly anglers look forward to catching their fish in the first few weeks of the year as the mullet appear much earlier on the South coast.'

Richie introduced his good friend Kevin McLoughlin to the vagaries of saltwater fly fishing a few years ago. Having been a superb fresh water angler, he made the switch easily. Kevin was keen to master the art of catching a mullet on the fly. It looked easy, there were plenty of fish, what could go wrong. It was a difficult journey, but catch he did. Kevin researched the internet and has become our resident expert on fly fishing for mullet. So much so that he predicts mullet on the fly will be huge in the future. Richie agrees wholeheartedly with Kevin. Watch this space.

Kevin is seen here with a mullet in superb condition hooked on the Myles Kelly Fly. If you'd like a day out fly-fishing with Eire Bass guide, Richie Ryan, then give him a buzz on 00-353-86-1940744. Alternatively, check out his website on http://www.corkbass.com/

....and some more mullet...on the lure!

Local anglers Clinton Rachman & his son, Cody, have been targeting mullet on the lures lately....and having success!!!

Clinton has been using a variety of soft plastic lures he's picked up in South Africa and these having being doing the business. Above, Cody is pictured with one of the mullet they picked up on a golden brown softy. Clinton advises that a lot of patience is required as you will have a lot of missed takes but if you stick with it you will get them.

....some more Mullet fishing!

In quiet back waters of Cork Harbour mullet can be successfully targeted. LRF specialists, Cillian Farrell and Dan Gill, who have been pioneering kayak angling in the harbour over the last number of years, have turned their attention to targeting mullet on lures!!!

Yesterday afternoon, one such mission led to success. Cillian gives a brief account of what happened '....A quick LRF session on the last hour of the flood. Dan & myself had felt a bit claustropobic of late having being couped up studying. A short fishing trip was in order. The beauty of Cork Harbour is that there are accessible marks within a short distance. 7 minutes into the session I hooked this 2-3lb mullet, with a pink power isome fished on a 1g jig head. Dan hadn't even set up by this stage. Unfortunately, that fish spooked the others. We did have a few follows later but it was great to catch a thick lipped on a lure!'

Well done, another one for the species count!!!

Super Mullet fishing....

Myles Kelly with a 7lb 5oz Thick Lipped Mullet

Its not just the bass fishing thats taking off, the mullet fishing in the many inlets and backwaters of Cork Harbour has also kicked into gear. Local mullet specialist, Myles Kelly, has had some super results lately. His best catch over the last few weeks is this exceptional 7.25lber pictured above.  This was in fact Myles' first of the season. Myles takes up the story:-

'....Sea temperatures are still low for the time of year and are hovering below 10C. This has made for difficult fishing in Cork Harbour where pollack and bass fishing has been very slow. The change in weather has seen fortunes for local mullet anglers improve and I got my first of the season in one of the Harbour's tidal creeks towards the end of April. Stalking a number of good fish for a frustrating couple of hours finally paid dividends when one hit the bread flake bait and took off on a long run. On light tackle the fish proved a difficult opponent and after some heart stopping moments the fish was finally played out and safely netted.'

Local guide Richie Ryan also specialises in targeting the local mullet shoals. If you'd fancy a day targeting mullet you can contact Richie on 00-353-86-1940744. Check out Richie' website for more details.